Oblivious
by maggiexxmoment
Summary: Aurelia's been told all her life that the Desians are good. Cruxis is good. So what happens when she meets the Chosen's group and learns otherwise? Eventual OCxZelos
1. Prologue

**Hello! You're currently reading the author's note of the rewritten prologue of Oblivious! For those of you reading this story for the first time - welcome, and nice to meet you! :)**

**For those of you coming back to read the changes to this, hello again, and thanks for your continued support! I still can't believe how far this story has gotten. I never even dreamed it. So thanks so much!**

**Anyway, I didn't change _too_ much of the prologue. Now that I have a more firm idea on the direction this story is headed, I've simply added a few lines here and there to show that, because, to be honest - I had no idea where I was going with this at first. That's why I've decided to rewrite the chapters, because now I can fix up things that don't fit anymore, as well as add important plot details that I never included before.**

**With that being said, I hope you all enjoy the story!**

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Pronyma hesitated in the doorway. Lord Yggdrasill always hated it when someone disturbed him. However, it angered him even more when something happened involving that _girl _and he wasn't informed.

Still, even if she was accustomed to risking his anger time and time again, it still didn't make her any less cautious about it. She stood there, watching him as he hovered in the spacious room, his iridescent wings beating ever-so-slightly. His long, golden hair spilled down his back like a sleek, straight curtain, and he wore the same gold-lined, one piece suit as always. Pronyma found herself staring yet again at his beauty, almost mesmerized by his glow.

"Are you simply going to stand there, Pronyma?"

She blinked, but quickly recovered from her surprise. She should have known he'd realize her presence the moment she'd arrived. He was an angel, leader of Cruxis – he knew all.

"I-I apologize, my lord, but it's about the girl."

Of course, this piqued his interest. He turned to face her, training one heavily-lidded aqua eye on her. The other was concealed by his hair. She focused her gaze on the emerald Cruxis Crystal on his chest, feeling unnerved. He was the only person who could ever make her feel like this.

"Do tell."

Pronyma didn't understand his interest over the girl. While it was true that, under her training, she'd grown to become a skilled fighter and gifted in the use of mana, she had a feeling it was something else. He kept her locked up in Welgaia, treating the Desian girl like a princess. He even allowed her to live in his castle, Vinheim, and receive special treatment. Because of him, she was completely oblivious to the true nature of the world. She understood much for the way she lived cut off from everything else, and yet so little at the same time.

"She is sleepwalking again," Pronyma replied for the umpteenth time. She tried to mask the annoyance in her voice, but feared that the effort was in vain. The girl always sleepwalked, and yet Pronyma still had to confirm her orders to return her to her room. Any time that she didn't, she was reprimanded quite harshly. If Lord Yggdrasill would just hurry and turn her into an angel, then this wouldn't happen. Angels didn't need sleep, after all.

"I see."

"Yes. So, shall I return her to her room?" She was already edging towards the door as she asked this. The answer was always the same.

"Wait."

His response stopped her dead in her tracks. Well, almost always.

"Yes, my lord?"

"Leave her be for now." Something glinted dangerously in his eyes.

Pronyma had trouble containing her shock. "B-But, Lord Yggdrasill! If we let her go, she'll access the warp point to the Tower of Salvation!" It had almost happened several times, and Lord Yggdrasill had been furious. For some reason, the girl was drawn to the tower, as if something was pulling her to one of the two worlds.

He met her with an even stare. "I've decided it's time she learned a little more about the world. I think we shall see where this leads us. She can, after all, operate seals and pathways just like the Chosen."

"She can?" This knowledge was news to Pronyma.

"In her sleep," he replied with a slight smirk. "Have you forgotten Kvar's invention?"

She did. She was forced to hold her tongue when she remembered that it was not only Kvar who'd been a part of it.

Instead, she looked at him with uncertainty. "But my lord, if this is true, then she may make it as far as –"

He cut her off. "My prediction is that she will end up in Sylvarant. Perhaps she will even meet up with the Chosen's group. That would be interesting."

"And that's what you want…?" Pronyma asked hesitantly. As always, she felt that there was more to the situation than Lord Yggdrasill was letting on. "My lord, being thrust so harshly into the world…she may grow to fear us."

His smile widened. "Dear Pronyma, she will be of no use to us locked up in this castle. Let her journey, see the world – that is _exactly_ what I want."

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**And there you have it. We'll be introduced to our heroine in the next chapter.**

**Review now if you feel like it, or wait until the end! Thanks :)**


	2. A Rude Awakening

**Chapter 2!**

**In terms of rewrites, I've changed quite a bit of this one, I would say. I've made it quite a bit longer, and considerably changed the part just before the ending. Anyone who's read it before and knows what will happen will probably understand where and why I made the changes.**

**Anyway, please enjoy!**

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So it seemed I was dreaming about the sea again, this time in the form of a beach. I wondered what it was about the sea, and the fact that it always seemed to be involved in my dreams somehow. Perhaps I had lived in a port town before living up here in…um, whatever it was called. I couldn't really remember much of my old life, so I didn't know where I'd lived before.

Anyway, in this dream, I lay on soft, warm sand, and I mean _really _warm. In fact, it seemed to be blistering hot. I squirmed uncomfortably. Why was it so hot? This was a beach, not a desert. The rushing sounds of ocean waves crashing on the shore confirmed this.

Only there were no waves. Frowning, eyes still shut, I realized that I couldn't hear any water. And besides that, this dream seemed too…realistic, to be a dream. The sand was hot to a point where it burned my skin.

This wasn't a dream.

I sat bolt upright and my eyes flew open. I quickly snapped them shut as they were assaulted by a bright light.

_The sun! _I thought wildly. _There's no sun back…um, home. So what's going on?!_

I eased my eyes open and squinted around at my surroundings. It was taking a long time for my eyes to adjust to the brightness. I couldn't remember ever seeing such light, or feeling such heat.

"A desert…" I said in awe as I took in the endless sea of sand. I stood, brushing off my white nightgown.

Wait…nightgown? I frowned in confusion at this. Just _what _was I doing in a desert, in my nightgown? The only explanation I could think of was that I had somehow walked down here in my sleep. And now I was in one of the twin worlds, either Sylvarant or Tethe'alla, it seemed. How did something like this even happen? I mean, I know I did sleepwalk on occasion, but I'd never actually left the city before. It was impossible, wasn't it?

But it had to be true, because here I stood. Unless someone had just decided to dispose of me in some desert while I was sleeping, I'd somehow managed to sleepwalk all the way down here.

I wondered why Lady Pronyma hadn't stopped me like she usually did. Wouldn't Lord Yggdrasill be angry? Did he not wonder where I was?

Tears pricked my eyes at the thought. I was beginning to panic. Where was I? How was Lord Yggdrasill going to find me? Did he even realize I was gone? Would he even _care?_

_Aurelia, don't be stupid, _I told myself. _Of course he cares. He'll come to save you in no time._

"Okay, it's okay…" I chanted in an effort to calm myself. Breathing deeply, I did my best to assess the situation and tapped into the knowledge of what I'd been taught about the two worlds.

I didn't have much firsthand experience in dealing with these worlds. I'd lived for so long up in…um…

_Dammit!_ Why couldn't I remember the name of my home?! It was starting to freak me out. At first, I'd simply brushed it off as grogginess from having just woken up, but I was fully awake now and it wasn't getting any clearer. In fact, the more I thought about it, the more I realized I couldn't even remember what it looked like. Or how to get there, for that matter. I remembered fragments of it, like the fact that there was no sun – I grasped at vague images of a dark castle, a white city, and this strange, swirling purple light. Of course, I also remembered Lady Pronyma and Lord Yggdrasill, but that was it.

Great. I must have fallen down here and hit my head or…or _something._

Anyway, the point is, anything I knew about Sylvarant and Tethe'alla had been taught to me. I'd lived in my current home since I was young, and my whole life I'd been taken really good care of. Lord Yggdrasill treated me like I was really important for some reason. I'd been taught to fight, as well as the basics of magic – I'd been told it would be useful someday. How, I wasn't quite sure. I didn't think I would ever have a reason to visit these worlds, and certainly not on my own.

I knew most of the basic workings of the worlds – the Chosen's journey, the fight for mana, the summon spirits – and I knew about the Desians. How could I not? I was one, after all.

My people, the Desians, were responsible for keeping order in the declining world, ridding it of all things evil and impure. They were made up of mostly half-elves, like myself. I was proud to be a part of such a peaceful and heroic group of people. I hoped one day to maybe even grow to be a Grand Cardinal, just like Lady Pronyma.

Thinking about the geography I'd been taught, I was certain that there were no deserts in Tethe'alla. The only desert I knew of was the Triet Desert, in Sylvarant.

"Then that's where I am," I said firmly. "The Triet Desert in Sylvarant. Hmm…"

I looked around. The desert seemed to stretch on quite a ways. Walls of rock stood here and there, blocking my view of whatever could be in the far distance. However, I remembered learning of a desert town called Triet. A feeling in my gut told me it should've been nearby. It would be smart to start there. I couldn't just stand in this desert forever, worrying and moping about whether or not I'd be rescued. Lady Pronyma had trained me for a reason, and I intended on fighting my way through this desert and reaching Triet.

However, I realized I wouldn't be fighting anyone wearing nothing but a nightgown. I didn't even have any equipment. I had to stop and think. Sylvarant was currently in decline, meaning there would be monsters around. At the same time, it also meant that the supply of mana was dwindling. I wasn't sure if I'd be able to manipulate it the same way I'd be able to back home. It was worth a try, though.

Tensing in concentration, I stretched my fingers out and attempted to draw in mana from the air around me. It wasn't easy. I was met with much resistance, but I slowly felt it begin to build up in my fingertips. Once I figured I had enough, I redirected it to my nightgown. Just like during my morning routine back home, the nightgown faded away, and was replaced by a black and purple dress, brown gauntlets and boots, and a brown leather belt. I patted down my belt, satisfied to see that my dagger and collapsible spear had made the cut.

I breathed out an exhausted sigh and slouched down into the sand. Was there seriously so little mana in this world that a single act of changing my clothing took so much out of me? And I didn't even have any orange gels with me…this was going to be an awful trip.

But I needed to stay positive. Because I was in the declining world, there would be Desians here. If I could make it to Triet, perhaps I'd be able to find someone to help me. I suppose I could've considered myself lucky for ending up here and not in Tethe'alla.

Before I started on my desert trek, I stopped and stared into the sky. I wasn't met with the familiar swirling purple and dull stars, but rather a cloudless blue sky. I breathed in the clean, hot air, revelling in the way it made me feel. I'd never imagined Sylvarant would be so beautiful. The sand around me glittered in the afternoon sun, making me feel as though I stood in a sea of gold.

A sliver of a memory danced tauntingly through my mind, leaving before I could fully grasp it. A conversation. A promise. Somehow, it didn't feel right that I was enjoying this beauty alone.

Try as I might, I couldn't make the memory come back, so I started on my way through the desert. The sun bore down on me as I walked, causing me to break out in sweat, but I somehow didn't mind…at first.

The further I walked, the more I realized that wearing black in the desert wasn't a smart idea. The heat clung to me, and I didn't even have any water to relieve my steadily increasing thirst. My boots sunk into the sand as I walked, which quickly tired out my legs.

I stopped to rest in the shade of one of the rock walls, pressing my back to the rough surface and sliding down into the sand. I was desperate for water, but I knew there was no way I was getting any until I reached Triet, so this break was going to have to be enough to keep me going.

As I half-seriously contemplated falling asleep, I was alerted to a sharp hissing noise. I glanced up and saw that three, very large scorpions were approaching me, their stingers sharp, deadly and at the ready.

"Oh great," I groaned. I jumped quickly to my feet and unfolded my spear.

The scorpion nearest to me reacted badly to this and scuttled forward. Its tail shot forward in an aim for my leg, but I quickly jumped out of the way and brought my spear down into its head. I ripped it out and stabbed it a couple more times for good measure before I moved on to the other two.

I'd never fought real monsters before. My training consisted heavily of both practicing on training dummies and sparring with various people…none of which I could remember, of course. Anyway, it was certainly different. These scorpions weren't looking to test my skill – they wanted to kill me.

With great difficulty, I managed to finish off the other two and remain unharmed. When the fight ended, I sighed and stretched out my arms. Swinging around this spear in the heat made them feel as though they were made of lead. The once light spear now felt twice my weight, and was difficult to lift. Why had I been so confident? This was torture!

I trudged onwards, feeling less and less enthused about finding the city the further I went. I felt like just collapsing right there into the sand.

Finally, at long last, Triet came into view, and I had never been so happy to see anything in my life. The sight of the desert city gave me enough energy to run the last stretch of sand, and once inside the walls of Triet, I collapsed into the sand, breathing heavily.

That had been exhausting! Who knew, with all that training I did, I was still in such bad shape? I guess training was nothing compared to the real thing. It really didn't prepare you at all.

Another traveller sitting nearby under a palm tree offered to share his canteen and lunch with me, and after resting for several minutes I was soon feeling much better. Luckily, I was once to bounce back fast, and soon I was ready to continue my search for Desians!

I smiled at that thought. Once I did find one of my own, they'd help me back home and I'd be with Lord Yggdrasill in no time!

I hopped to my feet, deciding that I should start asking around. It was a pretty lively town. I shouldn't have trouble finding the information I needed.

First of all, I noticed a bulletin board set up outside what I assumed was the inn. I decided to check that first to see if it held anything useful. Several flyers for different shops were plastered on it, but the thing that stood out most was a wanted poster slapped right in the middle of the board.

"'_Wanted criminal number 0074, Lloyd Irving'," _I read. Upon reading it further, I realized that it must have been put up by the Desians. This Lloyd person must have been quite a criminal if they were going to the trouble of making wanted posters. The drawing showed an unattractive boy with brown, windswept hair and a devious look on his face.

I turned away from the poster, nearly smashing right into someone.

"Oh, sorry!" I exclaimed, wincing at my stupidity.

The person, only a young teen, gave his head a shake and looked up at me. I stifled a gasp. The mana radiating from him…this boy was a half-elf, no doubt about it. He had a long mess of silver hair, with large, indigo eyes that were currently filled with worry. He was dressed in all light blue and white.

"Sorry, I'm in a hurry," he muttered. He hurried past me in an urgent manner, leaving me to stare after him.

I shook my head. Why was I so shocked about seeing a half-elf? I knew that there were other half-elves besides the Desians, but they tended to keep a low profile, as far as I knew. They didn't always get along with humans – another reason why the Desians were necessary to keep peace in Sylvarant.

I pushed the encounter from my mind and wandered over to the market area, a place bustling with people and filled with stalls and shop vendors. There were shops for everything – weapons, armour, sundries, and customization. As I browsed over the merchandise, I noticed that on the wall of one building was a sizable hole in the shape of a person, as though someone had fallen through. It was more likely that they were pushed, though. Who was _that _clumsy? Still, the wall was made from stone, and I had trouble picturing was kind of person could make a hole like that.

There was a man tending to his stall who didn't seem too busy, so I decided to try him first.

"Hello sir," I said, smiling brightly at him.

He gave a warm smile back. "Good day to you, miss! And what can I do for you?"

"I have a question. I was wondering if you could possibly tell me where the nearest Desian base is."

The smile instantly vanished from his face. His eyes narrowed into hostile slits. "And why," he said suspiciously, "would you want to know a thing like that?"

I blinked in surprise. Well that had been totally unexpected. "Um, well I –"

"And another thing," he continued, seeming to grow angrier by the minute. "Why do you call it a 'Desian base' like it's some respectable thing? Don't pretend it's anything other than what it is – a human ranch."

"H-Human ranch, sir?" The term was unfamiliar to me.

"Yeah," he said harshly. "And if you really must know, it's near Iselia. Now be gone!"

"B-But –"

"I have _nothing more to say to you! _Now _leave _before I'm forced to make you leave." He turned away from me to assist another customer. He plastered a fake smile on his face, but his anger still managed to seep through.

"Um…" I backed away from the man, no doubt with a bewildered expression on my face. What was _his _problem? Why had he gotten so angry with me? It was…bizarre.

Well, at least now I knew where the nearest Desian base was. Or "human ranch", as the man had referred to it. Whatever that meant. I knew humans worked there in the making of Exspheres, but calling it a human ranch made it sound so…cruel. Which it was far from. I knew that half-elves and humans didn't always see eye-to-eye, but the making of Exspheres was something they could both agree on. Desians needed the Exspheres to enhance their own abilities so that they could protect people. So why was this man treating the subject so harshly?

I wondered what Exspheres _were, _exactly. I knew their purpose, but I knew nothing about what went into the process of creating one. I didn't even use one, although I had asked on many occasions if Lord Yggdrasill would give me one so I could become stronger. He didn't even entertain the thought, brushing it off was like it was nothing, so I never really thought it would be important to have one.

Then again, maybe I _did _know how they were made and I'd forgotten that too. This sudden amnesia of mine seemed to be pretty selective.

As I was turning around, I bumped right into someone…again. Dammit, why couldn't I watch where I was going? I'd slammed right into the tall man's chest.

"I'm so sorry," I said, cringing as I pulled away to stare up at him.

The tall man seemed to tower over me, staring down at me with his thick eyebrows drawn together seriously. I noticed first the pointed ears poking out from his jagged, dark-coloured hair. Then I clued in and sensed the odd mana swirling around him.

Another half-elf.

"You…" we breathed at the same time.

"You're a –!" I began excitedly, but he cut me off.

"Aurelia Nobelle," he said in wonder. "So it's true. My men said they saw you wandering through the desert. I didn't believe them. Until now, that is." His dark eyes were shining, almost, but his face remained serious. Still, he was…excited, about something. That much was obvious. He had this look to him…as though he were gazing upon something he thought he'd lost – that he never expected to see again.

"That's me…" I said hesitantly. "And you are?"

His face hardened. The gleam left his eyes. "Of course. There's no way you'd know me. I'd forgotten."

"Sir?" I said, cocking my head to the side. I did my best to ignore the warning fluttering my stomach was doing. "Is something wrong?"

He muttered something that sounded like "more than you know", but I couldn't be certain. He stared at some unseen thing, lost in thought.

"What are you doing here?" he asked finally, slowly breaking out of his daze to look back at me. "In Triet?"

There was something about the way he asked it, about the intensity of his expression – all of it made me suddenly very cautious. Something was telling me that I shouldn't reveal too much about myself. I just needed to leave and get to Iselia.

"Just travelling," I said evenly. "Um, may I ask how you knew my name?"

He got that same distant look in his eyes, but when he spoke, his voice was cold. "You're Yggdrasill's pet. How could I not?"

My eyes widened slightly in surprise. "Lord Yggdrasill? So are you a Desian?" Suddenly, I didn't feel so scared. If this man was a Desian, then he could help me get home!

He chuckled as people around us sent frightened and angry looks at the two of us. "Yes, something like that."

I breathed out a sigh of relief, feeling as though a great weight had suddenly been sucked out of my body. "Oh, thank goodness. Can I speak with you for a moment?"

"Certainly."

We moved away from the crowd, and I noticed that people practically jumped out of our path in an effort to let us by. I frowned. The people in this city were weird. Perhaps it was because they lived so far from a true base that their perception had become skewed? I couldn't explain it.

When we reached a less populated area, I sighed and leaned against the wall of a building. The half-elf stood a moderate distance away from me.

"What happens to be the issue?" he asked me, looking concerned.

"Everything," I said. I began to nervously twist a lock of long, black hair between my fingers. How did I even begin to explain what had happened to me? Did Desians in Sylvarant even know about my home, or how to reach it? Lower-ranked soldiers were pretty uninformed, as I recalled.

"That's quite vague." He almost looked amused.

"Fine then," I huffed. "If you must know, I'm…lost, I guess. I woke up in the desert, and now I have no idea how to get home."

"Home…" He stared up into the bright sky, and I followed his gaze to see if he saw anything particularly interesting. He certainly did seem to be searching for something, but all I could see was endless, vibrant blue. "Where exactly is your home?"

I brought my eyes down, letting out a sheepish laugh. "Um, I sort of forget."

He tore his eyes away to give me a puzzled look. "You forget?"

"My head's all jumbled," I explained. I kicked at some sand, absently watching it settle against the stone beneath it. "There are pieces of my memory missing, and my home is one of them. I don't know what's going on, I…" I bit down on my lip as my voice hitched, and I had the horrible fear that I was going to start crying. "I just want to go home."

He stared at me for a moment, looking conflicted.

"Very well," he said finally. "If you come with me, I will help you get home."

I couldn't fight back the smile that burst across my lips. "Really?! You really mean it? Oh, thank you so much…um…"

"Botta," he said shortly. His expression had shifted, and he now looked almost…angry. However, this was only for a moment before he caught himself and managed something that was supposed to pass for a smile, I guess.

"Botta," I said. "Right. Thank you so much!"

"…Follow me."

He turned and began walking briskly in the direction of the city entrance. I hurried after him, not wanting to be left behind. He only offered a glance over his shoulder to see that I was following; otherwise he kept his eyes on the destination.

I studied him carefully as we walked, trying to figure out what rank he was. Judging by his appearance – the clothing, stature and the large, curved sword strapped to his back – he didn't seem like a mere foot soldier, that was for sure. There were only five Grand Cardinals – Forcystus, Magnius, Kvar, Rodyle, and, of course, Lady Pronyma. So there went that option.

"Hmm…"

Botta slowed a bit, looking back over his shoulder curiously. "Is something wrong?"

I jumped a bit in surprise. "Um, I was just wondering what kind of position you hold. You seem like more than just a grunt, you know?"

He turned his head away and regained his pace. "My position…is not one of great importance. I am simply in command of my own squad, nothing more."

The way he spoke sounded off. However, before I had a chance to question it, we'd reached the edge of the city, and three men dressed in Desian uniform approached us.

"Lord Botta, sir!" one of them sounded, throwing up a salute.

I stared at him. "Lord"? Why was this guy calling Botta "Lord"? And what was with his uniform? While it was the traditional red (which I thought was the colour of the Iselia Base uniforms, but I couldn't be certain) and black with a silver helmet, something about it seemed…off. In fact, all three of them wore these strange, same but different uniforms.

"I see you've found the girl," another said, looking straight at me. "Shall we restrain her?"

"_Restrain _me?" My jaw hung open. I glared accusingly at Botta. "What the hell is he talking about?"

"That won't be necessary," Botta began to stiffly inform the man, but the damage had already been done, and he knew it.

I began backing away. I kept a hand firmly pressed against my spear, still attached to my belt.

"Aurelia," said Botta when he noticed me inching further and further away. His face tensed with frustration. "Where are you going?"

"What was he talking about?" I countered, jerking my head angrily in the direction of the man who'd, according to the look on Botta's face, had probably just lost his job. "I thought you said you were a Desian? Why would you need to restrain me?"

The third man present snorted. "What's with kids these days and thinking we're Desians? Are they all this gullible in Sylvarant?"

Botta shot the man a glare. Well, there went his job, too.

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, I took off running into the chaotic streets. Ducking my head, I immediately began shoving through the crowd as quickly as possible without actually throwing people aside. I wanted to get away, but I wasn't about to let some poor person get trampled to death because of it.

I threw a quick glance over my shoulder and nearly stumbled. The man was pursuing me, his tall frame towering over the majority of the surrounding people as he weaved through the crowd.

I hissed an extremely rude word and kept going, breaking into a sprint as soon as I was free of the mass of people. Everyone was giving me gawking stares, but I couldn't have cared less at the moment. I only cared about escaping these men, who I'd pretty quickly figured out were _not_ Desians. So, I ignored the gawking stares and forced my legs to keep moving. They were still a bit weak from the trip here, and threatened to give out at any moment.

I continued to curse under my breath as the four not-Desians quickly gained distance on me. By this point, we'd reached a rather deserted street…

…meaning there wasn't anyone around to help me when my knees finally buckled and I collapsed in a heap on the ground. I barely had time to think about crawling away before they circled me. Two of the men grabbed me roughly by the arms and hauled me to my feet. I felt a dull, bone-deep pain in each arm from their iron grip.

I whipped my head up to see that Botta stood in front of me, his face calm and unreadable.

"Who _are _you?!" I struggled wildly against my captors. One kicked me – _hard_ – in the back of my knee, causing that leg to give out. Not that I was going anywhere. I would have crumpled to the ground, had the two men not been keeping me suspended by my arms. I glowered at the kicker's helmeted face, and then returned my glare to the leader. "I haven't done anything to you! Let me go!"

"That is something I cannot do, Aurelia." His tone seemed almost…sad.

"How do you know my name?!" I demanded. "About Lord Yggdrasill? Who the hell are you people?!" I clenched and unclenched my fists, desperately wishing that I could reach my spear, or my dagger. Or cast a spell. _Anything _to break free!

"We shall not harm you," was his evasive reply. "Let us go."

The group began moving, and I continued to kick and thrash. My feet didn't even touch the ground at this point – the two men had lifted me high enough into the air that I was simply flailing them through empty space. I doubtlessly would have been dragging my heels into the ground otherwise.

"You didn't answer me!" I screamed. "Put me _down! Lord Yggdrasill will hear about this!"_

I'd simply been shouting nonsense, but my last statement was enough to make Botta pause and look back at me. His eyes were gleaming once more.

"That is the whole idea, Aurelia."

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**I like this chapter _so _much better now that I've rewritten it. This was the one chapter I had the most problems with, so I'm glad it's done and out of the way.**

**Thanks for reading! Reviews are appreciated, of course :)**


	3. Rogue Desians?

**So here is rewrite number three! I've made this one considerably longer. The events play out almost the same, but with a lot more, much needed detail and I changed the interaction between Aurelia and Lloyd. With this, I've pretty much gotten the three most troubling chapters out of the way, so enjoy the changes! :)**

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"I really don't think the blindfold is entirely necessary sir," I said sweetly. "Would you be so kind as to remove it?"

My attempt at being polite fell flat because one, the scratchy material of the blindfold was still pressed against my eyelids, and two, because my captor gave me a hard shove to show just how much he wasn't buying it.

"You just told me a moment ago that you were going to ram that blindfold down my throat," he said drily. "So no, that's not going to work on me."

Despite the situation, I blushed. I could have a temper at times, but I normally wasn't _this _angry and violent. My nerves were slowly beginning to fray away.

Botta's men had blindfolded me the moment we'd left and Triet, and from point we walked. We _walked _and _walked, _my legs feeling like jelly due to how disoriented I was. I couldn't see a thing, and the ground felt like it was moving around. Walking in sand blindly was extremely difficult. What's worse, I had no sense of direction, so I had no idea where we were headed. If I ever managed to escape the place I was headed, I'd have no idea how to get back to Triet. I could wander around the desert for days until I died from dehydration.

These were the grim thoughts running through my head as I was led blindly through the halls of some sort of enemy lair. It at least didn't seem to be a cave or a dungeon – I could hear the faint hum of electricity, and the floor beneath me felt too perfect and polished to be rock.

"Here we are," my captor said eventually, and, to my joy, the blindfold was taken from my eyes.

My joy slowly faded, however, when I saw where I was: a jail cell, with only a single, uncomfortable looking bed to furnish it. It was suspended in the air, attached to the wall by chains. My hands were released, but sadly this was accompanied by the loud, clanging sound of the barred door slamming shut behind me.

I whirled around and gripped the metal bars, opening my mouth to yell at my captor. An electric shock coursed through my body, and instead the yell was one of pain. I desperately tried to pull my hands away, but they were momentarily glued to the bars as the current made its way through my whole body. Finally, I was able to slump to the floor, twitching with aftershocks.

"Sorry," said the man, his tone almost snarky. "I forgot to mention – the bars are electrically charged." He might as well have let out a laugh for how much enjoyment he seemed to be getting out of this. He walked off, pausing only to exchange a quick word with the patrolling guard.

"Are you alright?"

I jumped and swivelled my head around in surprise. I hadn't noticed, but in one corner of the cell sat a human boy who looked a few years younger than me. He had brown, windswept hair, with brown eyes that were locked onto mine with concern. He wore a bright red jacket, with red boots and gloves and two pairs of crisscrossing belts.

"I-I think so," I told him quietly, stretching out my throbbing fingers. "Do you happen to know where we are?"

"Some kind of Desian base, I'm guessing," he said bitterly. He glared at the patrolling guard, who remained oblivious to our conversation.

"No it isn't," I replied, immediately and without thinking.

He raised an eyebrow. "How do you know that?"

"I'm –" I cut off. I'd begun to say, "Well, I'm a Desian. I know one when I see one." However, the memory of the angry shopkeeper flashed in my mind. I remembered the mix of scared and angry townspeople. For some reason, I felt that I shouldn't really boast about that particular fact to anyone, just in case there were any others like that man. I didn't see why there would be, because the Desians were nothing but helpful, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

"I just know," I said instead, not entirely meeting his eyes. "Trust me. They were behaving too strangely."

"'Strangely'…" he repeated to himself, and then laughed humourlessly. "That pretty much sums up the Desians in a nutshell, if I was gonna be nice." He gave his head a shake and looked up at me. "So you say these men aren't Desians?"

I nodded. "They can't be. The Desians don't even have a base in Triet…"

He'd straightened his posture slightly when I was thrown into the cell, and he now slumped back against the wall as he thought it over. "I'm not even sure where all of the human ranches are anyway. The only one I know of for sure is in Iselia, where I'm from."

_Human ranches…_There was that awful term again. I felt my stomach tighten. Why was every human I met treating the Desians with such…contempt? I thought perhaps it had just been the people of Triet, but this boy had just told me he was from Iselia, and he was acting almost the same way. What was going on?

"Um, miss?" the boy spoke up. "What are you thinking?"

I'd been staring blankly at the cold, metal floor, and felt my vision come back into focus. I slowly lifted my head and looked at him.

"S-Sorry. I'm just a little bit shaken up. Whoever these people are, they kidnapped me in Triet and brought me here."

His eyebrows rose in surprise. "Seriously? Why?"

"I wish I knew." Sighing, I dragged my still-shaking body across the floor to sit closer to the boy. "The leader, he knew my name, but I've never met him before." Resting my chin on my drawn up knees, I tilted my head towards him. "What about you? What are you doing here?"

"They recognized me from my wanted poster," he explained a bit sheepishly. "That's why I thought they were Desians."

"'Wanted poster'?" I repeated skeptically. Oh great, I was probably sharing a cell with a cold-blooded murderer or –

No. Now that he mentioned it, I recognized this kid. In my head, I pictured the poorly drawn, unattractive criminal with a smug grin and disproportioned features. In reality, however, I was looking at a boy of probably no older than 17, with a handsome, youthful face that lacked any malice whatsoever. Still, I knew exactly who he was now.

"Y-You're…you're that Lloyd Irving guy, aren't you?" I began to instinctively inch away from him.

"That's me," he said quickly, seeing the look on my face. "But it's not what you think! It's all a big understanding!"

I paused to give him a cautious look. "Okay…well, what happened?" I reached for my spear at my belt, only to come to a sickening realization – the men had stolen my belt, leaving me without weapons. If it came down to it, and this Lloyd person really was a dangerous killer, I would have to resort to using magic to defend myself, despite my only basic grasp on spell-casting.

He ran a hand through his wild hair, his eyes clouding over as he recalled the memory. "Okay, well since you seem to be familiar with where the human ranches are in the world, I'm sure you know about the one in Iselia right? About the non-aggression treaty?"

_Non-aggression treaty? _I awkwardly shook my head.

He let out a breath. "Um…okay. Well basically, it's an agreement that they won't attack Iselia as long as we let them run their ranch in peace."

I had to bite down _hard_ on my tongue to keep myself from protesting. Attack Iselia? The Desians would never do something like that! What need for a treaty was there?

"Anyway, my friend Genis always went to visit an old woman at the ranch named Marble. But one day, the Desians started whipping her for her slow work, so I interfered. I got away, but they still managed to realize who I was and came to attack the village." His face grew harder by the second, his expression set with anger. "They turned Marble into a monster and unleashed her on Iselia, forcing Genis and I to fight and kill her. We were banished from the village, and I've been wanted since."

Listening to Lloyd's story, I felt like I was going to be sick. There…there was just no way he could be telling the truth. The Desians…they…they wouldn't do something like that! They wouldn't whip an old woman, or attack the village or turn people into monsters. They just wouldn't! It was so horrible! Lloyd had to be lying. He had to be!

"That's…there's no way," I whispered. "It's just too terrible…"

"It's hard to believe their cruelty," he agreed, having misinterpreted what I meant. "But, yeah. That's why I ended up here."

I thought his story over, still reeling. As much as I hated to believe it, certain factors made sense. The Iselia Base governed Triet as well for distance reasons. Perhaps the whole region had…I don't know, gone rogue, or something. That would explain why Botta had taken me hostage, and why the people of Triet seemed so resentful towards us. Did Lord Yggdrasill know about this? There was no way – he wouldn't have let it gone on this long.

Still, I was surprised that it was Forcystus who was acting on his own like this. I would've much expected it to have been Rodyle, with the way he was constantly sneaking around. Either way, Lord Yggdrasill would be furious when he realized what was going on.

And who was Botta? This Triet Base must have been just a temporary one of some kind, and Botta must have been in charge of taking care of it. After all, it must have been quite troublesome to have to travel all the way from Iselia to Triet.

But then what about the comment that guy made about not being Desians? He was the only piece of this puzzle that didn't seem to fit. Maybe he had been crazy or goofing off, or…I really didn't know. It was easiest to just ignore him and agree that these were rogue Desians I was dealing with. It was the only thing that made sense.

"Do you trust me now?" Lloyd asked, snapping me out of yet another daze.

I looked at Lloyd. He certainly didn't seem like the type to try and trick me into believing him. It wasn't his fault Forcystus was going against his duties and treating people cruelly. Still, the way he spoke about the Desians…he acted as if he believed them all to be that way. I wasn't sure at the moment how far this corruption had spread through Sylvarant, so it would be best not to tell Lloyd that I was a Desian. He obviously harboured a deep hatred for them – I could see it in his eyes. I wanted him to trust me, especially if we planned on getting out of here.

"I do," I said finally, giving him a small smile. "Lloyd, right?"

His anger from before completely vanished, and he gave me a friendly grin. "That's my name! How about you?"

"It's Aurelia."

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Aurelia!" he said brightly, holding out his hand to me. His face fell slightly. "Although, I do wish it was under better circumstances."

I shook his hand. "Likewise." I paused, taking in the surroundings of the cell. Pale green metal walls. No vents or cracks that we could slip out of. I eyed the barred door and managed to pick out faint sparks of electricity leaping from the surfaces.

"Are you looking for an escape?" asked Lloyd, causing me to smile.

"How did you guess?"

He let out a forlorn sigh and let his gaze wander around the tiny cell. "I've been trying to do the same thing since I got here. There's no use."

I frowned. "Don't say that. We can't just sit here, right? What do they plan to do to us?"

"Your guess is as good as mine."

As I continued to search the cell for the slightest signs of weakness, wandering about its cramped quarters, a man (well, Desian, I guess) approached the Desian already patrolling outside of our cell. He didn't even cast a look in our direction, leading me to believe he didn't even know we were there.

"I came to relieve you," the newcomer said.

"Understood."

As the current patrol readied himself to stand down, he began chatting with the newcomer. They were speaking in rather hushed tones, but I could tell the overall tone of the conversation was serious.

"Is that so?" the patrol suddenly said in surprise, pulling away and causing his voice to echo through the metallic hallway. "If so, then I feel sorry for that Lloyd kid."

Lloyd perked up at hearing his name mentioned. He rose to his feet to join me at the bars, where I was now listening intently.

"I hear you," the newcomer agreed. He shook his head sadly. "He can't possibly escape execution."

"_Execution?!" _Lloyd choked. He brought his hands up to angrily grip the bars, but quickly jerked them back when he remembered they were charged. He looked at me with wide eyes. "What the hell?!"

I bit down hard enough on my lip to draw blood, fighting to keep my own exclamations inside. However, I was just about as shocked as Lloyd. They were going to _execute him?!_ Why?! From what Lloyd had told me, his being here at all seemed like a misunderstanding. He certainly didn't deserve to be _executed. _What the hell were they thinking? Was this group of Desians that twisted and corrupt that they actually thought it was okay to just kill people like that? He hadn't even committed a crime!

I desperately wanted to confront them about it. Technically, I was pretty high up in the Desian order. If this was a normal circumstance, all I would have to do is mention my name and I'd be out of this prison cell in an instant. However, these were far from normal circumstances, and mentioning my name to these men would probably have the opposite effect I hoped for. So, I simply looked on in shock as a third Desian arrived on the scene.

"Hey," he said to the other two a bit breathlessly. "Lord Botta is calling you."

This time, it was my turn to jerk my head up as I recognized the name of the man who had captured me in Triet. There they went, calling him "Lord" again.

The original patrol nodded. "Gotcha." He and the other guard left, leaving the newest arrival to begin pacing in front of our cell.

"Dammit!" Lloyd muttered, eyeing the guard cautiously. "Aurelia, we have to get out of here! If they're going to execute me, who knows what they'll do to you?"

"I know, but…" I patted my clothing down, my hands skimming across the fabric of my dress for the familiar feel of my belt before remembering it was absent. Everything was gone. I sighed in frustration. "Damn, they must have taken my belt while we were walking, and I didn't even notice! Do you have any equipment?"

He patted himself down and raised his empty hands into the air as an answer.

I muttered another curse word, chewing on my lip in thought. If I was better at spell-casting, I could just send a fireball or something the guard's way. Still, that wouldn't solve the fact that we were trapped in this cell. There had to be some way, _any _that we could escape!

"Hmm, what about this?" Lloyd suggested, holding up his red-gloved hand. On one finger sat a ring, a silver band with an intricate design carved into it. It was nice, sure, but the ring wasn't what caught my attention. No, that would've been the glinting blue gem, attached to the back of his hand by means of a golden crest. A hole in the material around his glove was cut in order to allow it to be seen.

"An Exsphere!" I said in surprise. "Y-You have an Exsphere!"

He glanced briefly at his hand, as though he'd forgotten it was there. "Oh yeah. That."

"It's such a strange color," I commented, taking the liberty to get close to his hand and examine in further. Most Exsphere were red – this was the first time I'd ever seen a blue one before. I straightened and gave him a curious look. "I thought only Desians had Exspheres. How did you get one?"

"They pretty much do," he replied, gazing at it still. "But I have mine from my mother. It's…a keepsake." He got a hard, distant look in his eyes that suggested there was something more to this story.

"O-Oh…" I stared at my feet, unsure of what else to say. He didn't seem to want to talk about it, so I decided not to pry any further. "Anyway, um, how is an Exsphere going to help us?"

"Hm? Oh, no, I wasn't talking about the Exsphere. I was talking about _this."_ He pointed at the ring on his finger. "The Sorcerer's Ring. It can shoot fire!"

I blinked, taking a closer look at it. "_That_ little thing can shoot fire? How?"

He shrugged. "Beats me. I got it at Martel Temple when Colette went to receive the oracle."

"The oracle…" This kid continued to surprise me. "You know the Chosen?"

He grinned, a faint blush that I was sure he was unaware of creeping into his cheeks. "Yeah! She's one of my best friends. After Genis and I were banned from the village, we set off to find her. She should be in the area somewhere."

I gave him a small smile. "Well, I'm sure you'll meet up with her once you get out of here." I nodded towards the ring on his hand. "Now then, what did you have in mind?"

He cast a glance at the patrolling guard and lowered his voice. "If we can anger him into opening the cell door, maybe we can time it right and lock him in here instead!"

I bit my lip. "Okay…where does the ring come into play?"

"If he doesn't fall for it, then we can shoot some fire at him and provoke him into fighting us!"

I thought his plan over, already formulating an attack strategy in my head. Lloyd looked like he had speed on his side – something that we both shared. If we executed it correctly, then it could probably work. One of us would have to antagonize him, and the other would wait for him to open the door and use that opportunity to jump out at him, catching him off guard enough that the first person could disorient him. We could then run past him and shut the gates behind him. Then we'd run like hell, of course.

Giving a firm nod, I relayed my plan to Lloyd, who listened carefully to every word. In hushed tones we discussed each step of our plan, planning out our parts in miniature versions of them. When we were finally ready, the plan began. Cue Lloyd!

"Hey, bucket head!"

The guard froze in his tracks as he heard Lloyd's oh-so-creative insult. Seriously, I'd been under the impression that he was going to come up with something better than that.

The exposed flesh of the guard's jaw twitched visibly. "Yes?"

"I'm kinda hungry," Lloyd said boredly.

"That's nice," the guard remarked. "Tell it to someone who cares." He started pacing again, but Lloyd's loud voice caused him to irritably stop once again.

"I'm reeeeeeeeally hungry," Lloyd went on. "Seriously, can't you hear my stomach growling? Or is that bucket on your head affecting your hearing?"

"Lloyd!" I said with fake concern. "Don't bother him like that!"

This time the guard made a full turn to face Lloyd's direction. Although the helmet obscured his eyes, I could tell by the hard set of his jaw that he wasn't pleased.

"Are you looking to get hit?" he growled at Lloyd. He approached the cell, getting as close as he dared to the sizzling bars. "Because I swear, if you say one more word, I'm going to come in there and wipe that smirk off your face so fast that you won't even have time to blink. Got it?"

If anything, Lloyd's smile grew. "Really? That sounds pretty cool! Can you teach me how to use a bucket for protection while you're at it?"

The guard let out an angry growl and slammed his fist onto an unseen button on the wall beside the cell. There was a click and then a shuddering groan as the bars slid up into the ceiling. The guard smacked his fist into his hand and took a step into the cell.

With this, the plan sprang into action. Lloyd grabbed onto the guard's arm and gave it a hard yank. The guard stumbled, but it was not enough to fully catch him off balance. This was when I came in and gave him a sharp kick to the back of his knees. His legs buckled momentarily, but by the time he caught his balance we were already out of the cell, Lloyd's fist slamming against the button and causing the bars to come crashing back down.

"Why you –!" The guard cut off with a pained cry, having gripped on to the electrically charged bars in his anger. He slumped to the ground in a fit of spasms.

I cringed. As badly as I wanted to escape, I remembered all-too well the feeling of that shockwave coursing through my body. It was definitely not a pleasant feeling.

"C'mon, let's get out of here!" Lloyd didn't offer the man a second glance – he ran off ahead, seeming to forget all about me.

I chased after him and found him not too far ahead in an area that looked like some kind of control center, with computer terminals and switchboards and stuff (I was willing to bet it was some kind of master control for the prison cells).

Lloyd knelt in front of a chest, sorting through its contents.

"What is it?" I asked, peering over his shoulder to look inside.

"Our stuff," he replied, and began taking things out: two sheathed swords, some gels and life bottles, as well as a map and other personal items of his. He stowed them all into his bag, which was also in the chest, and proceeded to reequip himself. He nodded in my direction. "I don't know what's yours."

I took Lloyd's place kneeling at the chest and rummaged through the contents. I found my belt, with the spear and dagger still attached. Besides that, I really didn't have much else so I decided to take a few spare gels and other medical items in case anything happened. The few I grabbed pretty much filled the pockets of my belt, and I vowed to buy a bag to put my things in as soon as I was able.

"That's better," I said as I fastened the belt to my waist.

"Yeah," said Lloyd. He attached a sword to either of his crisscrossing belts and nodded. "We're probably going to end up having to fight, so it's good we got our equipment back."

My stomach churned at that thought. I would have to fight them – Desians, my own people. Would it be considered betrayal? Surely not, if _they _were the ones who kidnapped me and were causing all of these problems. It would just be surviving, and Lord Yggdrasill would understand that – especially if these Desians were going against his orders. Still, as much as I tried to convince myself of this, the knot in my stomach refused to untwist. Whether from guilt or nerves, I was no longer sure.

"Aurelia?"

Lloyd's voice pulled me back to the present.

"Right. I'm sorry. Let's go!"

With that, we began our trek through the unknown base.

* * *

The two of us crept around the base, careful to duck around corners and into unused doorways whenever there was a danger of being caught. Lloyd had been unconscious when he was brought here, and I blindfolded, so neither one of us really had any clue where we were going. We were doing our best to avoid being seen, but I had this sickening feeling that we would be caught eventually.

The rooms we came across were rather useless. There were storage rooms, offices, and weaponries, but no entrance or anything that looked like a control room. The closest thing we came across was a large room with a control panel, a large metal wall that looked to be a door, and a circular opening in the floor that was sealed shut. We couldn't figure out how anything in the room worked, so we simply continued onwards.

As we entered a rather spacious room, there was the blaring sound of an alarm and all of the lights briefly flashed red.

"Well, we've made quite a stir, it seems," I said, cringing at the loud, piercing noise. "That guard we trapped must have finally managed to contact someone."

"Shh!" Lloyd hissed suddenly. "Someone's coming!" Panicked, we searched frantically around the room for somewhere to hide. In the center of the room was a large, weird-looking machine that sat in a hole in the floor. Lloyd grabbed my arm and pulled me down to the base of the machine, where the floor above us blocked us from sight.

I barely had time to settle into a comfortable position before two Desians came running in.

"Where are they?!" one exclaimed in frustration. "That girl and the kid in red disappeared!"

Lloyd looked down at his clothing, frowning.

I held my breath while the duo did a quick sweep of the room, miraculously overlooking our hiding place somehow. After circling a couple more times, they came back to the door they had entered from.

"He wasn't over there, either," said one, sounding confused.

"That's strange," said the other. "How could we miss them when there's only one other exit?"

"Let's head back that way, then. They must be around here somewhere, and that kid in red shouldn't be too hard to spot." The two exited the room, and I waited several long moments before letting out a huge sigh of relief.

I scrambled out of our hiding place, glancing around cautiously. Lloyd, however, wasn't interested in exercising caution. He simply climbed out and began ranting.

"Red, red, red! Does my outfit really stand out that much? Sheesh! I have half a mind to –"

"Lloyd," I said with waning patience. "I understand, but we need to find a way out of here, remember?"

He sighed, scratching the back of his head. "Yeah, yeah. They went out this door, right?" He approached the only other door in the room and examined it. Like the other doors in the facility, it was metal and should have slid open with our approach. However, a small keypad was attached to the wall beside it.

"It looks like we need some sort of passcode," I said, coming up behind him.

"Ugh, _seriously?" _Lloyd groaned. "How are we going to find something like that?"

I tapped on my chin in thought. I'd already learned it was difficult to manipulate such sparse mana in Sylvarant, but surely something as simple as opening a door wouldn't be so hard, would it?

"Let me try something," I told him. I raised my hand, palm facing the door and flexed my fingers a little, concentrating all of the mana both in my body and in the air around me towards my fingertips. I gave a slight tug and the door slid open with ease.

"Whoa!" said Lloyd excitedly. He looked wildly from me to the door. "How'd you do that?"

"I just manipulated mana," I explained wearily, hoping that would be enough of an explanation. Had opening a _door _seriously just made me feel weak? I was really underestimating Sylvarant, it seemed.

"So you used magic," Lloyd clarified, grasping to understand. "Kind of like how Genis would cast a spell?"

I nodded. "Similar. Both use mana, but they require different levels of concentration, and differ slightly in execution." I smiled sheepishly. "To tell the truth, I'm not the best at spell-casting."

Lloyd took it all in before nodding resolutely. "When we get out of here, I'll get Genis to teach you! He's really good at it."

His brown eyes sparkled, and he looked so determined and sure of himself that I couldn't help but laugh and say, "Alright. That would be nice."

We moved on to the next hallway, and I was still pleased at the idea of learning magic from Lloyd's friend. Lloyd seemed nice enough, so I was sure this Genis person was just as friendly. He must have been a half-elf, too, if he was as good at spell-casting as Lloyd said. I secretly hoped he would be a kinder instructor than Lady Pronyma. She tended to be harsh on me when I made mistakes.

My happy cloud vanished when we turned a corner and almost slammed right into a group of five Desians.

"Shit," Lloyd hissed, drawing the half-elves' attention to him.

"It's them!" one of them exclaimed, drawing his sword from his belt. The rest of them followed suit.

"What do we do?" I asked, panicked, but I knew just what Lloyd's answer was going to be.

He drew both of his swords and held one challengingly towards the Desians. "We'll have to fight of course! Get ready!"

My stomach clenched. I had to keep silently repeating to myself, _They're betraying Lord Yggdrasill. I'm only defending myself. He'll be pleased with me. I have to do it. It isn't betrayal, it _isn't, _it –_

Lloyd let out a cry and charged into the crowd. His swords twirled in the air as he slashed at any Desian who got close. The metal on the blades looked dull and chipped – he couldn't have paid too much for them, and they wouldn't be much good on their own in a fight against five Desians.

So I sucked it up and unfolded my spear.

"Leave them alive!" one of the Desians shouted. "Lord Yuan will have our heads if they're killed!"

_So at least we can't die, _I thought drily. Still, that didn't mean they weren't allowed to rough us up a little. I gulped and charged into the fray,

I singled out one of them to target and ran at him, narrowly avoiding the blade of one of the Desians Lloyd was fighting. He was ready for me, and met me with his own sword. Our blades clashed, and I took the opportunity to twirl away from him. He stumbled, and I was able to drive the blade of my spear into his stomach.

"_Urgh!"_ Blood spilled from his mouth and splattered on the floor as he fell. My boot slipped in the crimson puddle and I nearly fell.

A Desian saw this moment of weakness and swung at me. I ducked and kicked my foot out wildly at him, striking right in the groin. He let out a cry of pain that was cut short when Lloyd sliced through him.

I looked around as I regained my balance. The floor was littered with blood and the bodies of Desians. I couldn't make out who was alive or simply unconscious. Either way, I felt like I was going to be sick.

"Are you okay?" Lloyd asked me, sheathing his swords. "You look kind of pale…"

"They're…they're dead, aren't they?" I asked in a quiet voice. I blinked rapidly in an attempt to dry my warming eyes.

He let out a long breath. "Most of them, I think."

"I'm sorry," I told him. I stood up straight and returned my spear to my belt. "I've…never killed someone before."

He looked sympathetic. He rested a gloved hand on my shoulder and said, "They're Desians. All they know how to do is kill humans. If they didn't have orders, that would probably be us on the floor."

I nodded silently. He was right. They needed to be stopped. What they were doing was unspeakable, but still…I was one of them. Traitors or not, I still had just killed one of my own. They may have deserved it, but it still didn't do much to silence my pounding heart.

"Hey, you there!"

The loud, angry voice shook me out of my daze. Instinct seemed to take over this time and we both made a break for it, sprinting down the hallway and bursting into the first room we came to.

I pressed myself against the closed doors, breathing heavily. The room we'd entered was quite different from the rest of the building. Everything else was filled with technology and machines, all while having this strictly clinical feel to it. This room had plush, violet carpeting and luxurious, expensive-looking furniture. It looked much more personal and lived-in than any other room we'd come across.

"Phew," Lloyd panted. "That was close, huh?" He pressed his forehead against the cold steel of the doors.

I nodded, squeezing my eyes shut.

"And just who the hell are you?"

I felt all color drain from my face and my eyes snapped open to an alarming size.

I hadn't noticed the man in the room, standing behind a large wooden desk with crossed arms. He had vibrant blue hair that was tied in the back, and wore a long black cape over clothing that bordered on regal. Apparently, we'd just burst into this man's office, judging by the papers scattered across his desk and the tall, crammed bookshelf.

He held his hand out at us and a crackling ball of mana formed. His proud face glowered at us threateningly.

Lloyd didn't seem intimidated. Having turned around and saw the man standing there, he'd initially looked startled, but now puffed up and stood his ground.

"Give me your name and I shall give you mine," he said arrogantly.

"_Lloyd!" _I blurted, amazed at his boldness. I knew he was trying to act brave to protect the both of us, but all his arrogance was going to do was get us both killed!

The man simply laughed loudly. "You certainly have guts. But I'm afraid I don't see a need to introduce myself to a miserable little creature like you."

I bit back a retort. "Miserable little creature"? Just who did this guy think he was?

"What a coincidence," said Lloyd, and I braced myself for his overconfident response. "Because _I _don't see a need to introduce myself either to a moron who doesn't realize how pathetic he is."

I slapped a hand to my forehead and groaned. That was it. We were going to die. The man's cold eyes flashed dangerously and narrowed.

"Why you little–!" The mana ball in his hand pulsated, and he moved his hand back to send it towards us.

Lloyd stepped in front of me and brought his fists up in a defensive stance. I braced myself for the attack that was about to come.

The man's eyes locked onto the Exsphere on Lloyd's hand and he faltered, the mana ball dissipating.

"That Exsphere!" His eyes scanned Lloyd's face. "You're…Lloyd?"

While he dropped his hands, Lloyd didn't stand down. He merely tensed and said, "And if I am?"

The man stepped towards Lloyd, carefully examining his face. "Hmm, I see the resemblance." He glanced behind him at me. "And you…you're Aurelia, no doubt. How convenient."

I opened my mouth to speak but was cut off by the alarm piercing the air. The man glanced up at the flashing red light curiously.

While the man was distracted, Lloyd took the opportunity to draw one of his swords and lash out at him. He quickly sidestepped the attack, giving Lloyd a look of disdain.

The door opposite to which we'd entered opened and in ran Botta, flanked on either side by Desians.

"Sir!" he said to the blue-haired man. "We've received reports that the Chosen's group has infiltrated the facility!"

"Botta!" I exclaimed angrily, at the same time Lloyd growled, "You're the Desian who attacked Iselia!"

He looked over at us, his formal expression changing. "So _you're_ Lloyd," Botta chuckled. "And I see you've become acquainted with Aurelia? Now this is…amusing."

"Botta! I'm leaving for now," the man announced, sounding slightly irritated that Botta's attention had been stolen. "Our plans will be ruined if he sees me."

"What of the Chosen?" Botta questioned. I dimly recalled my earlier conversation with Lloyd. If he'd been telling the truth, then there was a good chance that the Chosen was here to rescue him.

"I'll leave that to you," the man instructed. He started towards the door, but paused halfway to give Lloyd a withering glare. "Lloyd. The next time we meet, you're mine. Just you wait." He fled out of the door through which we'd entered.

I whirled to face Botta. "You! You have some explaining to do. Why the hell did you bring me here?"

"Yeah! And why did you attack Iselia, huh?" Lloyd added angrily, jabbing an accusing finger at him.

He chose to ignore Lloyd and looked at me. "Aurelia," he said calmly, "you mustn't be angry. I am only trying to – "

"Lloyd!"

Botta was cut off as the door opened and a group of people ran in. The one who'd called Lloyd's name, much to my surprise, was the half-elf boy I'd run into in Triet. He rushed forward to meet us. "Are you okay?"

A girl about Lloyd's age ran to him, looking really worried. She had long, blond hair and bright blue eyes framed by straight bangs. I took in her white tunic, boots, and dark leggings before finally resting on the red gem attached to her collar bone, surrounded by a branching web of gold. A Cruxis Crystal. This girl was the Chosen One. Colette, as I recalled Lloyd calling her.

"Are you alright?" she asked anxiously. "Are you hurt?"

"He looks fine," a man who stood near the back of the group spoke up. His voice set off an alarm in the back of my mind, but it was quickly silenced. I trained my eyes to get a good look at him. He was tall, with messy, auburn spikes and cold, reddish eyes. He was dressed in violet mercenary gear, and his build was impressive. He looked strong. Strong…but also familiar. I strained my mind trying to remember how I knew him, but I was met with a mental wall. His eyes briefly met mine and I hastily looked away.

"You honestly need to be more careful," the last member of the group, a woman, chastised. Her features were very similar to the young teen's – short, choppy silver hair with wise indigo eyes. She wore an orange robe lined with black, and was glaring disapprovingly at Lloyd, albeit with some relief. She was a half-elf, and I decided she and the boy had to be siblings.

"You guys all came for me?" Lloyd asked, looking around at his group of friends with a mix of surprise and happiness.

"Ah, perfect timing," said Botta, breaking up the happy little reunion. He drew the large, curved sword from his back, and I noticed that it had an Exsphere embedded in it. "I'll take care of everyone at once!"

Everyone in the group readied their weapons, and I didn't hesitate in drawing mine. I was angry at this guy. He'd made me feel safe, like I could trust him, and then turned around and kidnapped me. I sent my most menacing glare at him.

He paused, meeting my eyes. "Aurelia…"

I gripped my spear and narrowed my eyes further, trying to look tough and determined. I haven't a clue if it worked or not, though.

"Aurelia, please stand down." His tone seemed almost…gentle. Sad. "I promised not to hurt you. Do not make a liar out of me."

"Forget it!" I shot back. "You can't just throw me into a prison cell and expect me to trust you. I intend on escaping this place with Lloyd!"

Lloyd and I exchanged confident looks.

"Very well," Botta said coldly. Any emotion he'd shown was erased from his voice. "Then you leave me with no choice!"

"Get ready!" the mercenary ordered, as Botta lunged forward at us.

We disposed of the lesser two Desians first. One was down from a blast of fire magic, cast by the half-elf boy. He used a kendama to help him focus his magic, and I realized that he must have been the Genis guy that Lloyd told me about. He certainly seemed to know what he was doing, anyway.

The other Desian fell after the mercenary, armed with a sword and shield, ran him through with ease. Their deaths still stung me, despite not dealing the blows myself. I almost stopped, but the others needed my help in fighting Botta, so I turned my attention to the powerhouse half-elf.

The fighting was much easier with six people. Apart from Genis and the mercenary, Colette fought with two chakrams that she swung from a distance, as well as some simple light-based spells. The other woman stood at a distance as well, using a tall, wooden staff topped with a red crystal to cast healing and protective spells. Add in Genis casting spells, and that left Lloyd, the mercenary and I fighting up close to Botta.

This was fine by me. I cried out and ran at him, doing my most impressive spear twirl. Just as the attack was about to hit, he grabbed the shaft of my spear and easily tossed me aside. He'd only seemed to be using about half of his strength, however, because I was able to lightly land on my feet without being hurt.

Confused, I stared after him. He continued to fend off Lloyd and the mercenary as though I hadn't even attempted to attack him. For some reason, this _really _made me angry, and I decided to try again, this time with more vigour.

"Botta!" I exclaimed, this time cutting out any fancy twirls and just going for a straight stab.

"Enough," he said shortly, knocking me back and instead choosing to attack Lloyd. Lloyd was ready for him, and he suffered several quick blows for changing his target like that. It was weird, but it was almost like he was…avoiding me? Why was he so keen on keeping me from harm? It only served to anger me farther.

"Why won't you fight me?!" I yelled with a swing of my lance.

"Would you rather I kill you?" he asked darkly, blocking the attack with ease. "Stay out of my way." With that, he ploughed through the frontline fighters and made a beeline for the Chosen.

Lloyd dove into his path with a vicious cry and swiped furiously at him. "Stay away from her!" His eagerness to protect Colette renewed his strength, and he was able to knock him back enough for him to fall into my range.

I wasn't about to pass up the chance to inflict some serious pain on him. I stabbed through every opening he offered, feeling my anger slowly release itself. He attempted to block my attacks by using the thick blade on his sword, but my constant attacking was causing the blade to crack.

Botta gave a great shove and I stumbled back, giving room for the mercenary to run in and unleash a series of stabs at him. The pressure on the blade was too much and it cracked in half, the top half falling to the ground with a dull thud.

"Ugh…" Botta grunted, glaring at the mercenary. "I…underestimated your abilities." He tossed the remainder of his weapon onto the ground. He locked eyes with me once more, wearing a strange expression I couldn't place. "Aurelia…"

I took a step back as Lloyd protectively took a step forward.

Botta took in the exchange and sighed tiredly, shaking his head. "You are strong. I'm glad." He gave the group a onceover before running from the room. Lloyd started like he was going to chase after him, but decided against it.

I frowned, staring after where Botta had gone. What was with him? Why did he seem so concerned over me?

The half-elf woman knelt to the ground to examine the destroyed weapon. She lifted the jagged handle to peer at the Exsphere attached to it. "Isn't this a…?"

"Professor!" Lloyd exclaimed, as though he'd just remembered she was there.

"Ah, Lloyd. Genis told me what happened." She stood tall and glared at her younger brother. "I apologize for the trouble he's caused you."

Lloyd shook his head. "No, I'm the one that dragged Genis into it. _I'm _sorry."

The mercenary sighed impatiently. "Save the chitchat for later. We shouldn't stay here long." He was already headed towards the door, and it was expected that we were to follow him.

"He's right," the woman agreed, snapping the Exsphere off of the handle and stowing it in her bag. "I opened the escape route before we arrived here. Let's go." She paused and gave me a searching look. "Are you coming with us?"

"Of course she is!" Lloyd said scornfully, before I could even answer. He grabbed my wrist. "Come on, Aurelia, let's go!" We ran to catch up to the man, and then began making our way hastily through the halls – halls I'd no doubt walked through already while blindfolded. I could have sworn that the curves and turns we rounded felt familiar to me.

We were soon greeted by the hot, bright sun of the Triet Desert. While I'd been cursing it while trekking through the sand to Triet, it was now a welcome change from the cold, clinical fluorescents of the base.

"Noishe!" I heard Lloyd exclaim happily. "You came too?"

I turned to see him petting a large, white and green animal that vaguely resembled a dog. It had large ears and a long, bushy tail. It was also extremely adorable.

"Aww!" I cooed, running forward to pet it. He ducked his head as I scratched his long ears, letting out a whine. "Who's this little guy?"

"'Little'?" Genis repeated.

"Noishe!" Lloyd answered proudly. "He's my dog. It's strange, he usually doesn't like strangers."

"He's so cute, Lloyd!" I was beaming. I loved animals – any kind – and this was enough to lift my spirits after being trapped in that base. While I doubted he was actually a dog, I ignored that fact and continued to happily pet him.

"You'll get along with Colette," Lloyd laughed, but the Professor was already speaking.

"I have a question," she said, holding out Botta's Exsphere. "This crystalline object that was attached to the weapon…is this one of the Exspheres that Genis spoke of?"

The mercenary gave it a disinterested look. "So it would seem."

"Oh yeah, you use an Exsphere too," said Lloyd.

"So you noticed," he replied, his voice hinting at sarcasm.

"What are they, exactly?" the woman asked, curiosity burning in her voice.

"It will take a while to explain," the man replied. "We can talk about it when we reach Triet. I trust you'll be going there as well?"

It took me a moment to realize the question was directed at me. I brought my hand away from Noishe and blushed. "Oh, um, well…I suppose…"

The man raised an eyebrow at me, looking impatient. It only added to the familiarity I felt from him, especially when I realized how stupid he was making me feel.

"Is there a problem?" Colette asked with concern.

"N-No…I just don't really know where I'm going yet," I said. "So…yes, I'll come with you to Triet." Gone was my plan to travel to Iselia. After the experience with these Desians, I was beginning to reconsider some things. Clearly a rogue Desian base was not the right place for me to be going, so hopefully the Chosen's group could help me find some answers once we had a chance to talk in Triet.

* * *

**Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed, and feel free to review! :)**


	4. Truths Revealed and Fire Seals

**Oh jeez...it keeps getting longer and longer. Lawlz**

**This took way longer to finish than I would've liked. Too many interruptions and such.**

**I made OCs today in English class for this story! ...they're not in this chapter or anything, buuuuut they're coming. Eventually. Yaaay! :D**

**Please enjoy! :)**

* * *

I flopped down onto the bed, exhausted from the day's events. It wasn't necessarily comfortable, but after wandering aimlessly through a desert, being kidnapped and thrown in prison, and fighting all day, it felt like heaven. From what I could tell, everyone else shared my sentiments.

We were all gathered in one of the rooms we'd had prepared at Triet's inn, and we'd come here the moment we'd reached the city. Introductions had just been made briefly, and I heard a short retelling of the group's journey here.

The Chosen's name was Colette, and she was in the area in order to release the fire seal, on her quest to regenerate the world. The half-elf woman was named Raine, and she was Colette's professor who was accompanying her for protection. The red-haired man, Kratos, was a mercenary whom the church of Martel had hired also to protect the Chosen. Lloyd and the younger boy, Genis, had followed after them after a series of events had forced them to leave their village of Iselia (they didn't really divulge any details about this, but I figured it had to do with Lloyd being wanted by Desians).

I, in turn, told them of my story, but there really wasn't much to tell- waking up in the desert with little memory and being randomly kidnapped by Botta and his men upon reaching Triet.

"So then you haven't a clue where you're from?" asked Raine, who was pacing the room. "Nothing? No companions or family or anything?"

"I don't," I said quietly, trying not to meet her eyes as I lied to her. "Sorry." I hadn't heard much from their pasts, but I did get a sense that they didn't seem to like Desians, so I withheld the information of my heritage and decided it best to act like I had no memory at all.

Still, it bothered me. What was with this world? Why did the Desians earn such hatred? If they all behaved like Botta, then I could certainly understand, but they didn't, right?

…right? I couldn't be sure. Everything seemed different here, leaving me hopelessly confused. Maybe a "human ranch" wasn't the best place for me to be going. Clearly there were things going on in Sylvarant that Lord Yggdrasill wasn't aware of. That had to be it. He would never let things get like this, so he couldn't know it was happening. Whatever "it" was, it would no doubt anger him to learn that his people were defying orders and/or hurting people.

In light of all this, I felt it was necessary to set some things straight.

"Um, I'm sorry if this sounds strange," I began slowly and cautiously, attempting to choose my words carefully, "but my head's kind of fuzzy- um, what is a human ranch, exactly?"

Everyone fell silent, their expressions ranging from angry to uncomfortable. It was Kratos, who stood leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, who spoke up.

"A place where Desians keep humans in the making of Exspheres," he replied simply.

"That's not _all_ of it," said Colette sadly. She sat on the bed opposite to mine, a look of grief passing over her face. "They're really horrible places. The Desians there work humans to their breaking point- past it even. Men, woman, children, elderly- it really doesn't matter. They're all treated with the same abuse." Her voice stayed steady, although she looked on the verge of tears. "It's a place of death."

I squeezed my eyes shut as pain seared through my chest. "So the Desians _are_ bad here…" I'd said it more to myself, but Lloyd decided to reply.

"Pure _evil_ is more like it!" he exploded from next to me on the bed. "They think because they're half-elves and we're humans, that makes them better and gives them a right to do whatever the hell they want!"

Genis looked uncomfortable, and Raine sighed and said, "Lloyd, please control yourself," but I barely heard her. I was lost in my own thoughts.

Desians were…evil? But there was no way! It was just impossible! _I _was a Desian and _I _wasn't evil! Did Lord Yggdrasill know about all of this? No. He couldn't, otherwise he would have stopped it.

I absently reached under my black hair to touch my own pointed ears, which were out of sight. Did this mean that if they found out I was a Desian, they would hate me too? Genis and Raine were half-elves, but from what I got out of things, no one knew this. Everyone thought they were full elves. Almost all half-elves in Sylvarant were Desians, automatically making them hated. They would hate me.

The pain of this discovery was almost overwhelming. My chest constricted, and I had to try my hardest _not_ to cry. I could hardly react, but I needed to do something about this! But what could I do?

I decided to try not to think about it for now, and tuned back into the conversation.

"So in other words," Raine was saying. "These Exspheres are amplifiers that awaken our dormant capabilities."

…Maybe I should have been paying more attention. Kratos had clearly just finished explaining what Exspheres really were, and I'd missed it. I got all I needed from Raine's summary, however.

"I wonder if I could use one too?" she went on excitedly, examining the Exsphere that had been attached to Botta's weapon.

"That would be difficult," Kratos replied. "Exspheres are harmful to the body without a Key Crest."

Her face fell considerably.

"Um…can't we make a Key Crest?" Colette asked, frowning.

"As I told you before," he said patiently, "a Key Crest is made by processing inhibitor ore, then engraving it with a crest to control the Exsphere attached to its surface. It is said to be a secret art known only to the dwarves."

Huh. How convenient. They were basically retelling the whole explanation.

"Yeah," Lloyd chimed in. "I can engrave that charm…err, crest, but only my dad can process the ore." Wait, so Lloyd's dad was a dwarf, then? How did that work?

Raine perked up, seeming to remember something. "Well, is there any inhibitor ore among these materials?" She stopped pacing and began digging through her bag, pulling out various relics and kneeling to arrange them on the bed Lloyd and I sat on.

"Raine!" Genis gaped at his sister, scrambling off of the other bed to get a closer look at the items. "Did you bring these from our house?"

"Of course," she replied calmly. "They're valuable research materials." She began listing them off, pointing at each item in turn. "This is a holy vase from the Balacruf Mausoleum. This is a jeweled sword from the Martel Temple. This is a priest's crown from the Asgard ruins. This is yellow ore from the Hima mines-"

"What the-?" Lloyd interrupted. "It's all junk!"

I winced. Not a very smart move on Lloyd's part.

Raine rose threateningly and glared at him. "What did you just say?"

He recoiled, grabbing my arm in fear.

"Hmm," said Kratos. He picked a slightly glowing stone out of the collection of relics. "This is…"

Raine turned to see what he referred to. "Ah, I picked that up in front of the human ranch. It was engraved with angelic language so I took it home."

"Professor!" Lloyd exclaimed, releasing my arm and hopping off of the bed to look more closely at it. "This is a Key Crest!"

She blinked in surprise.

"The crest is half worn off," said Kratos. "It's unusable like this."

"Can you fix it, Lloyd?" I asked hurriedly. I didn't want Raine to get depressed again. "You said you can engrave the crest, right?"

Lloyd took the Key Crest from Kratos. "Of course! Don't worry, Professor, you'll be able to equip that Exsphere tomorrow."

Again, I was surprised at their use of Exspheres. Colette's Cruxis Crystal was a form of Exsphere, and aside from her, everyone but Raine used one. Even Genis had one. _I _was a Desian myself, and _I _didn't even use one!

"Really?" Raine said happily. "Thank-you Lloyd! I'm sorry to make you go through the trouble, but I appreciate it."

"It's no problem," he replied. "I'll go start on it now! It shouldn't take too long." He left for his own room, which he and Kratos shared, to begin working on it.

"I should go too," said Raine. "There's studying to be done. Genis- time for bed." She motioned for the young boy to follow her.

"But- But I'm not tired!" he protested sleepily. He suppressed a yawn and rubbed at his eyes. "That's not fair!"

"_Now Genis!"_ she barked, grabbing him by the ear and all but dragging him from the room.

"I'll be off too," Kratos said shortly, and left the room without another word. This left just me and Colette, who were sharing the room anyway. We talked for a while about simple things, like what kind of food we liked (we both shared a dislike for green peppers, as I was happy to discover), and she told me what Iselia was like. It saddened me that I couldn't tell her of my home, because I couldn't even remember what it was like.

And then she dropped a bomb on me…kind of.

"So Aurelia, where are you headed after leaving Triet?"

My stomach did a little flip and I froze. Oh wow. I hadn't even _thought_ about that! With everything about Desians and Exspheres, I'd completely forgotten about the fact that I had no idea where the hell I was going! Iselia was out of the question completely- there was no way I was going to a human ranch after hearing what I just did. But then where could I go?

Colette noted my no doubt panic-stricken face with sympathy. "You still haven't figured that out yet?"

"Um, unfortunately no," I told her meekly. "There's no where really that I _can_ go…"

"Oh right, your memory. I'm so sorry, that must be terrible!" Concern plagued her blue eyes.

"Colette, don't apologize!" I said in surprise. "None of this is even close to your fault."

"Well I know, but still…I wish I could help in some way." She got a far-off look in her eyes, as though she were trying to think of a solution. Her face lit up and she said, "I've got it! You should come with us!" She seemed thrilled about the idea.

"Come…with you?" I crinkled my nose in confusion. "You mean…on your journey of regeneration? You want _me_ to come with you?" I realized that I sounded incredibly slow, but I was having trouble processing such an offer.

"Yeah!" she beamed. "I saw you back in that fight with Botta, and you seem like a really good fighter!"

Too bad I had barely landed a hit on Botta…

"Plus, Lloyd told me you can use magic! Even better than Genis!"

I thought back to opening the door, and my outfit change. Were such powers really so unheard of here? Lloyd had seemed simply amazed, but then again, Lloyd seemed amazingly simple.

"So that's the only reason you want me to come?" I asked blankly.

"No of course not!" she said quickly. "Those are just the reasons I'll give to Kratos to make him agree to it." She smiled broadly. "I want you to come because I want to help you! We're going to be visiting a lot of different places, and so maybe you'll find someone that recognizes you! Palmacosta is a pretty big city, with lots of people, so maybe-"

"Colette," I cut in. "Stop. You really don't have to do this. I appreciate the offer, but you shouldn't waste time helping someone like me when you should be focused on regenerating the world." _It's not right,_ I added silently. _I'm your enemy. A Desian._

"Someone like you?" She cocked her head to the side. "What do you mean?

Oh damn. "Uh, I uh, just mean that…um…how do you even know you can trust me? I could be a killer or something, for all you know!"

"Well, are you?"

"N-No…" _That's really beside the point, Colette._

"Then that's that!" she said kindly. "Anyways, don't be silly! I'm the Chosen One, and it's my duty to save the world, right? The world and everyone in it? Well you're in this world, Aurelia."

"But…" I trailed off hopelessly. There really wasn't an argument I could make that would give away who I really was. And besides, I _did_ want to go with them. Perhaps I'd learn along the way why the Desians were treating humans this way. Plus, I'd be helping the Chosen, which Lord Yggdrasill would be happy about. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that this is what I needed to do.

"Alright," I finally said, in the tone of the defeated. "I'll go with you, Colette, but _only_ until I find someone that I know. If Kratos lets me…" He seemed to have taken on something of a leadership around here. Or dictatorship. Whichever you preferred.

"It's not his decision. I'm the Chosen, remember? Don't worry about him. I'll talk to him."

I nodded. "O-Okay, I won't."

She let out a huge yawn and I noticed that her eyelids were continuing to droop.

"You look tired," I noted. "I'm going to go for a walk. Clear my head a little." _Try to convince myself not to feel so guilty for lying to you. _"Get some rest, Colette." I rose to my feet.

"Okay, good night, Aurelia!" She yawned again and lay her head down on her pillow.

I stopped in the doorway and smiled weakly. "Good night, Colette." I made sure to shut the door quietly, as I could tell from the windows that it was quite late.

I certainly didn't feel like talking to anyone, so I skipped Raine and Genis' room and headed downstairs, ignoring Lloyd and Kratos' room as well. I simply headed straight out the door into the cool night air.

I didn't know where exactly I planned on walking to. It was a dark and virtually deserted desert town, and last time I'd walked through this place alone, I'd been kidnapped. So. Where to go…

There was a stall just outside the inn, assumedly for horses and such, and Noishe occupied one of the spaces, his tail wagging happily as I approached him.

"Hey there, Noishe," I said gently, rubbing his head. "How's it going?"

He let out a small whine, and for some reason, this set me off and I was crying. Tears spilled down my face for a number of reasons. The grief at having to kill those Desians had finally pushed its way through my defenses, and I was mourning for their deaths. I also felt _guilt_. Guilt for having to lie to Colette and the others. How could she be so gullible? How could she accept me just like that? I didn't deserve her trust. I was her enemy.

I was confused, about _everything _- why were the Desians killing people, and why hadn't Lord Yggdrasill stopped it? I decided he _must_ know about it. How could he not? He knew everything.

So that was it. Lord Yggdrasill knew. But how could he just stand by and watch? That wasn't like him at all. What was going on? Why was he doing this? He was the leader of Cruxis! Cruxis' goal was to stop the Desians, as I'd just discovered, so why was he having the Chosen stop them if he was the one letting him do these things?

My fingers clenched in Noishe's fur as I tried, unsuccessfully, to hold in my sobs. I lowered my head and watched, with blurry vision, my tears splat onto the sand below me. Noishe licked my hand, and I began sobbing even harder. My entire body was wracked with these sobs, and I couldn't even stop- it was like an unstoppable flood of tears. I had never cried like this before. I'd never had a need to. I almost wished for Lord Yggdrasill, despite my doubts in his character now. I still refused to believe it. Someone who was always so kind and gentle to me couldn't possibly be evil!

I heard the door of the inn open behind me and whirled around in alarm. Kratos stood there, looking only mildly surprised to see me standing there, crying my eyes out. He didn't even really react though. He just kept walking to stand beside me, facing Noishe.

"K-Kratos," I sniffed, wiping at my eyes hastily. My voice was thick from crying, and pretty much incoherent. "Um, I was just…well I was-"

"Spare me your explanations," he said flatly. "It's none of my concern as to why you're crying. We just met, after all." He looked at me out of the corner of his eye, wearing an odd expression. He seemed almost…expectant.

I blinked more tears out of my eyes. "Y-You don't want to know?" I choked out.

"I would say that I am merely respecting your privacy, but that would be a lie. Your tears are of no interest to me." He paused, and then suddenly turned to face me. "But Aurelia, not everyone in this group is as…cold, as I am. Your tears would upset the Chosen, should she see you. If you happen to be crying over something that you wish to be kept secret, then consider yourself lucky that it was I who found you, and not Lloyd or the Chosen."

I froze. His tone didn't seem to match these harsh words. He didn't say them in a mean way, but it almost seemed knowing. As though he suspected my secret.

"Kratos," I began.

His unnerving reddish eyes bore into mine, causing me to stop. It was as though he was willing me not to continue.

"Be more careful in the future," was what he said. "Secrets are best kept, are they not?"

I opened my mouth and closed it again, at a loss for words.

"Now then- you were saying something?"

"Never mind," I finished hoarsely. "It's not important…"

He nodded in acceptance of this answer. "Good. You should get to sleep. It's late."

I stared at him. I wanted to confront him _somehow_, but even if I did, he'd probably deny anything I said. Maybe he didn't know anything anyway. Maybe I was just paranoid. Yes, that's it. I was probably just overtired and imagining things.

Without another word to Kratos, I turned on my heel and returned back inside. Kratos was right- if I was to leave with them on their journey tomorrow, then I was going to need my rest.

* * *

"It's now or never!" Colette chirped the next morning as she led me outside to where everyone was waiting for us. Of course, no one had thought to wake us up early, and so I had the uncomfortable sense that we'd kept everyone waiting. "It's not like they can say no, right?"

"Of course not," I mumbled, squinting as the morning sun assaulted my sleep-filled eyes. I was still worried, despite her encouragement. They could hate the idea- hate me. It was Colette's choice to bring me, but it was up to the rest of them to accept me, and they could easily not.

"Look who decided to join us!" Lloyd said pleasantly as we approached the group. "Sweet dreams?"

"Who was supposed to wake them up, _Lloyd?_" Genis jabbed. "Besides, _you're_ the one that always sleeps in late!"

Lloyd scowled at the younger boy.

"Anyway," he said, and looked up at me. "This is goodbye, huh Aurelia? Where are you headed?"

"Actually," said Colette. "That's what I wanted to talk to you all about." She gave me a "reassuring smile". "Aurelia doesn't really have anywhere else to go, and since she's a really good fighter-"

"You want her to come with us," Kratos interrupted. He held a hand to his forehead. "I should have guessed."

"It's okay if you don't want me to," I added quickly. I was already prepared for rejection. "I mean, if you think I'll just be in the way, then I have no problem staying here. I'll understand. But, I really want to help you all on your journey. Release the seals-" My voice threatened to waver. "-stop the Desians. Now that I've been…_reminded_ of all the evil they're doing, I want to help put an end to it."

"Hey it's Colette's choice, right?" Lloyd reasoned. "If she wants to bring you, it's not up to us to say no." He grinned. "Besides, _I _want you to come! It'll be fun!"

"This journey isn't 'fun', Lloyd," Raine reprimanded him. "It's dangerous, and very much serious, so please stop treating it like a field trip!" Still glaring at him, she said to me, "But, if you're sure you want to come, we'd appreciate the extra help."

"Thank-you!" I exclaimed happily. Well, as happy as I could be with finally confirming my betrayal. It wasn't that I was doing something wrong, but I was still going against my people. Still, I needed answers, and this journey could bring them to me. Besides, it was the right thing to do. "I promise I'll do my best to help!"

"So it's settled then." Kratos' tone was as calm and indifferent as ever. "We can finally head out to release the seal."

Colette turned to him and clasped her hands together. "Yes. I'll do my best!"

"The seal Remiel spoke of is in the Triet ruins southwest of here," Raine informed us, and I felt an odd feeling at hearing the name "Remiel". Where did I know that name from?

"Cool!" Lloyd said excitedly. "Let's go check out that seal!" He was already headed for the city's exit.

Genis sighed, shaking his head. "We'll see if that enthusiasm lasts…"

"I'll be fine!" Lloyd threw over his shoulder. "Just you watch!"

I laughed at the exasperated look Genis gave me. He was the youngest of the group, and yet he seemed to have more maturity than Lloyd, or even Colette.

We made sure that we were all well prepared, and then set into the desert. The whole time, Noishe trotted happily along beside us.

Travelling through the desert with this group, as opposed to by myself, was so much easier. I wasn't responsible for felling each and every foe, and so I didn't find myself nearly as worn out. The trip _was_ a long one; it took up a big chunk of the day, but eventually the ruins finally came into view.

The ruins lay against a tall cliff wall, and ruins they were indeed. They looked to once have been some sort of temple, but age had seriously worn away at it. The towers and spires of the building had broken off and fallen to sink into the sand, and the very entrance seemed to be submerged in sand.

"Ah, so hot…" Lloyd panted once we reached the ruins. He collapsed into the sand tiredly. "Man, I'm beat."

"See?" Genis said triumphantly. "You're already worn out!" He exchanged another look with me that made me laugh.

Lloyd didn't seem to notice. He just kept complaining. "I'm _sick_ of this desert." He glanced at Noishe, who had just let out a whine. "What's wrong, Noishe?"

"Be on your guard," Kratos warned, drawing his sword. "There are enemies about!"

As if on cue, a sizable group of monsters appeared before us. It was nothing different than what we'd already been facing- scorpions and snakes- but there was the exception of these strange creatures made purely of fire. There were probably two or three of each creature.

"I got the fire guys!" Genis called, slinging out a couple of ice-based spells. The elementals were stunned and seriously weakened, so while Lloyd, Kratos and Colette worked on the regular enemies, I readied my spear and charged at one of the fire creatures.

My own stupidity. The monster was made of fire. I should have expected my spear to pass right through with little damage made. Alright, then how about a new one?

"Shatter!" I cried.

Focusing mana into the spear, I watched with satisfaction as the spear's head became suddenly enclosed in ice. In a brief moment, the ice spread to the whole creature's body, and the fire froze solid. I snapped my fingers and the ice shattered in an explosion of frigid shards.

"Yeah!" I cheered at my success, then paused when I realized that the fight was over and everyone stared at me in wonder (except for Kratos, who I was beginning to notice never really looked affected by anything).

"That was…" Colette began breathlessly.

"SO COOL!" Lloyd finished, running over to look at my spear. "How'd you do that?"

I stared at him blankly. "I…used mana? It's just another attack, Lloyd…"

"That is of little importance right now." Of course this remark came from Kratos. "We must release the seal."

"Yes," Raine agreed. "Although it _was_ rather impressive, the seal is what's important right now. We'll ask her about it later." She paused and looked around. "Hmm? What happened to Noishe?"

Lloyd also looked around in surprise. "You're right. He's gone. Ah man, he's run off again." He sounded annoyed, as though this was something that often happened.

"He's probably nervous about the monsters," Kratos said logically. "I think it would be best not to count on Noishe in places with monsters around."

Forgetting about Lloyd's "dog" (and I still doubted that's what it really was), we approached a sort of ruined altar- a stone slab containing ancient writings and a pedestal with some kind of crest on it. From what I'd been taught, I recalled that this was the entrance to the seal.

Let's see…this was what, the first seal they'd been to? The angel transformation had not truly begun yet, so this is where Colette would receive her angel wings. That's all I knew about the process: first seal=angel wings.

Of course, I wasn't supposed to know any of this. So I just kept my mouth shut and hoped they'd figure it out themselves.

Colette examined the pedestal thoughtfully. "Say, is this the seal? It has my family's crest on it…" Her wonderings were cut short by a joyous cry from…Raine?

"_Fantastic!"_

We all turned to see Raine practically gushing over this stone altar, as though she were a teenage girl and the altar was some boy that she liked.

"R-Raine?" I said hesitantly.

She whirled around and clutched my arm in excitement. "Look at the slab covering the entrance! It's clearly of a different composition than the surrounding stone!"

I blinked, unsure of what to say, and glanced at Genis while Raine resumed fawning over the slab. Color slowly crept into the young boy's face.

"Hahahaha! It's just as I thought!" She crouched and ran her hand across the slab's surface in just short of a caress. "This is polycarbonate, developed during the Ancient War to defend against magic! Oh, feel the smooth surface! Isn't it wondrous?"

"…Is she always like this?" asked Kratos. He looked at a loss for words.

Lloyd managed to pry his eyes away from Raine and turned to Genis. "…Is she?"

"…I've been trying so hard to hide it too…" Genis sighed, and his cheeks darkened even further from embarrassment at his sister's ruin obsession.

"Wow." This was all I could manage. Her obsession was certainly…something.

"Hmm?" Raine was now observing the pedestal. "This depression… it reads 'oracle stone'. Colette, place your hand here. That should reveal the entrance."

"Really?" asked Lloyd.

"This stone is enchanted with magic designed to indentify the Chosen," she explained. "There's no question about it."

"Cool…" Lloyd breathed.

Colette did as she was told and placed her hand in the indentation on the pedestal. Several seconds passed before the stone slab shuddered and then, with the grinding sound of rock moving together, slid away to reveal a set of stone steps leading down into the darkness.

"It opened!" Colette's blue eyes widened in pleasant surprise. "Wow! I guess I'm really the Chosen after all!" She clutched at the Cruxis Crystal on her neck.

"Yes," Genis said sarcastically. "I think we _all _know that already!"

I eyed the girl with amusement. "There was ever a doubt…?"

"Well this just kind of reassures me," she said to me. "I mean, they could give a Cruxis Crystal to anyone, but only the true Chosen can open the seal, right?"

_Why would they give some random person a Cruxis Crystal? _I wondered. I exchanged a glance with Kratos. His slightly confused expression told me he was thinking the exact same thing.

Lloyd peered down into the entrance with a broad grin on his face. "Okay! Now it's getting exciting! Let's hurry up and go inside!" He dashed down the steps before we could stop him.

"I hope you'll be able to maintain that enthusiasm," Kratos said with a sigh, and I couldn't help but agree. His eagerness was going to get him killed someday.

The rest of us followed after him into the ruins.

* * *

"Last one!" Lloyd huffed, as he used the Sorcerer's Ring to set fire to yet another torch. This led to a portion of the floor rising, clearing our way to a warp point that would send us to the seal room. We'd been following this routine for at least an hour, raising platforms as we made our way through the dungeon and fought monsters. They were pretty much the same as they'd been in the fight outside.

"Good," I said uneasily. I glanced down at the bubbling lake of lava below me. One wrong step and I could fall off of this raised walkway and to my blistering doom. Sweat beaded on my forehead. "There's the warp point, right?"

"Just like in Martel Temple!" Colette recalled. "Let's go release the seal!"

We continued up the newly raised ramp and gathered ourselves onto the warp point. A blue light burst to life beneath us and soon engulfed my vision. I had the dizzying sensation of falling, and when it all cleared, I was alarmed to see that our surroundings had changed! I mean, I'd known it was going to happen, but it was still a bit of a shock.

This room was much smaller than the previous large, volcanic chamber, with a raised platform in the center that, I'm sure, served as the seal.

Raine gazed lovingly around the room. "This place is also built with magitechnology! Absolutely fantastic!"

Hadn't _she_ been the one telling _Lloyd_ not to treat this like a field trip? Interesting.

Colette approached the seal, but something happened. It seemed to…react. The room shook.

"Ahh!" Lloyd grunted. "What the-!"

Lava exploded from the seal, and a monster came leaping out with it. It was a large sort of flaming, feline beast, with two fiery dragon-types accompanying it.

"The trial!" Colette cried, twirling one of her chakrams on her finger. "It's the seal guardian. We have to fight them!"

Colette really did seem to have a gift for stating the obvious. _Of course we had to fight them!_

Our first priority was the pesky dragon minions. Since they were largely composed of fire, Genis and I decided to use our strategy from last time. He played with his kendama and a pale blue spell circle formed beneath him.

"Icicle!" Large pillars of ice fell on the beasts, and I used Shatter stun them further. After several rounds of this, the monsters fell and we turned our focus to the big guy.

I found it odd that I had no trouble fighting this monstrosity and keeping calm, but if forced to fight my own people, I threatened to have a breakdown. That was something I was going to have to work on and _why the hell was I thinking about this now?_

I gripped my still ice-laden spear and charged at the beast. The tip of the weapon plunged into its leg and it let out a deafening howl, swiping at me with its flaming claws. I ducked and, pulling my spear out, jumped back and shot ice from my fingertips. The shards buried themselves into the creature's face, which set forth a series of blind swipes directed at me.

"Force Field!" Raine's barrier settled briefly around me, but not before I felt a burning sting on my arm. I glanced down to see three angry gashes on my forearm. Lovely.

Soon after I heard the healer cry, "First Aid!" and the burning faded instantly. I didn't bother checking my arm- I knew it was fine, and besides, I needed to focus on this fight. I was finally getting the hang of fighting actual enemies as opposed to engaging in epic fights to the death with a training dummy named Carlos.

The creature was now blinded, so attacking it proved much easier. However, it was also pretty angry at this point, so when you _did_ get hit, you really felt it.

Genis continued to attack with Icicle, and I with Shatter. Even regular attacks were effective due to the buildup of ice on my spear.

I noticed just how strong Kratos was. Like me, he used both magic and regular attacks. The group was lucky to have such a versatile fighter.

"Sonic Thrust!" He drew his sword back and drove it forward in a thrust of incredible speed and force. It pierced right through the creature's chest, and it collapsed and exploded in a burst of mana.

"Quite the welcome committee," Lloyd commented drily. "Is it like that for every seal?

"Most likely," said Raine. "Now _shh!"_

The seal opened up and some sort of device rose up from within it, along with a glowing red light that floated in the air. The device quickly shot back down, and the mana faded. The seal had been released.

A man's voice, deep and soothing, resonated throughout the room. "You, the Chosen of Regeneration. Offer your prayers at the altar."

"Yes, my lord." Colette kneeled in front of the altar and, clasping her hands together over her Cruxis Crystal and closing her eyes, began to pray. "Oh Goddess Martel, great protector and nurturer of the earth, grant me thy strength!"

A heavenly shine emitted from an unseen source above us, and a small ball of golden light drifted down. With a flash, and to my utter disbelief, an angel appeared in its place!

It wasn't simply the fact of an angel appearing. I'd kind of been expecting that part. No, it was the fact that this angel, who had neat blond hair, white wings, and was dressed in green priest attire, was someone I knew. Somebody that I actually remembered- it was Remiel, an angel of Cruxis! So _that's _why I'd reacted when Raine said his name.

"Re-" I began excitedly, but never got to finish. My very throat seemed to suddenly close up, and I began coughing violently. It felt like my throat was being ripped open from the intensity of these coughs. I covered my mouth, not wanting to disturb such a sacred event, but it was a difficult thing to silence.

"Aurelia!" Lloyd whispered in alarm. "Are you okay?"

I nodded weakly as the coughs subsided and mouthed, "angel", as though my shock over seeing a real life angel would explain why I was suddenly trying to rid my body of its lungs. I wish the explanation was that simple, or that I had an explanation at all. Where had that come from?

Lloyd made a sound of understanding and returned his attention to the scene in front of him.

"Colette," Remiel was saying kindly, but his tone didn't match his eyes. There was something off about them, something…cold. "My dear daughter. You have done well."

_Wait a minute,_ I thought wildly. My eyes still burned with tears from my coughing fit. _Daughter? Now I know that's not right. Just what the hell is going on? Why is Remiel pretending that Colette is his daughter?_

I felt a tickle in my throat and knew that if I tried to voice these concerns, I'd start choking again.

"Thank-you…" Colette said nervously. "F-Father."

"The guardian of the seal has fallen," he continued, "and the first seal has been released. Efreet will surely awaken soon."

Efreet…that was the name of the fire summon spirit if I remembered correctly.

"In the name of Cruxis I shall grant you the power of the angels."

"Thank-you, my lord."

Remiel raised a hand and sent a stream of light to Colette. She lifted into the air, and a set of shimmering wings emerged from her back. They were a translucent pink color, fading into sapphire at the ends.

Everyone stared in shock and wonder, except for me. I'd already known this would happen, and besides, I was too busy wondering why Remiel was acting so strange, and why he didn't even acknowledge my existence. He didn't even _look_ at me!

"The angel transformation will not be without pain," Remiel told Colette. "Yet, it is but for one night. Be strong and endure."

"I humbly accept this trial." Each response she gave sounded automatic.

"The next seal lies far to the east, across the sea. Offer your prayers at that altar."

"Yes, Lord Remiel," Colette said as Remiel began to beat his wings and rise further into the air. He slowly faded and vanished.

His voice echoed through the room one final time. "I shall await you at the next seal, the Chosen of Regeneration, my beloved daughter, Colette."

Colette descended to the floor, landing lightly on her feet. She turned to face us all.

"Colette has wings!" Lloyd exclaimed with wide eyes.

_She's also being lied to, _I thought bitterly, letting out a threatening cough. First Desians were evil, and now an angel of Cruxis was lying to the Chosen? What was going on?

"Uh-huh!" Colette said in response to Lloyd. "And look, I can put them away, too!" Her sparkling wings folded in and disappeared.

"Oh, wow!" Genis' eyes had grown huge. "That's so cool!"

"Here, look, look!" she said excitedly. She unfolded her wings again, much to Genis' delight.

As she and Genis continued this (how did it not get old?), Lloyd turned to Raine, Kratos and I. "He said the next place is across the sea! That means we get to sail on a ship! Haha! I can't wait!"

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. He was so easily excitable, but I secretly looked forward to it as well. I'd never been on a ship before.

"A ship, hmm…" Raine considered this, and I swear I saw her shiver slightly. "I wonder if there are any ships sailing with the way things are right now."

"We should head to the coast to see what we can find," Kratos suggested.

"Okay you two," Lloyd said to Colette and Genis, who were still playing around. "We get it already. That's enough."

"…Did Lloyd, of all people, really just say that?" I asked, faking shock.

"It threw me for a loop too," said Raine.

Colette immediately retracted her wings. "Okay," she and Genis replied.

We all headed back to the warp point, my mind still racing from this encounter. Colette honestly believed that Remiel was her father? Why was he deceiving her like this? What possible purpose could it serve? Just two days had me questioning everything I ever knew, and I was beginning to think that perhaps I knew a lot less about what was going on that I'd thought.

* * *

**Remiel is a RIDICULOUS PONY! Gaaawd I hatechya SOOO much Remiel! President Taft's Secret Pony Brigade? No? Okay. But I do really hate Remiel. Feel free to drop some reviews! :)**


	5. Fell Down A Hole

**While I was writing this chapter I thought it was going to be way longer than the last one because I kept writing it in snippets so I couldn't really tell how long it actually was!**

**Wow. Rambles.**

**Anyhoo, concerning the title, it's because the song (Fell Down a Hole by Wolfmother) would NOT stop playing in my head while I wrote the part about Sheena, and I thought it was pretty clever. Probably just me though c:**

**But at least it didn't take me ten years to finish! Enjoy my darlings :)**

***Also (I'm sorry, I'll shut up and let you read after this) I think my fight scenes are getting better! Maybe. I went around reading Tales of Symphonia fanfics like crazy, skipping to all the fight parts so I could see what I should maybe be doing. Meh! I tried.**

* * *

As we were leaving the ruins, Colette collapsed.

"Colette!" Lloyd shouted. He dropped to his knees beside her. "Are you okay?"

"I'm…fine…" she said weakly. Her face was drained of all color, her breathing labored.

"You don't look fine at all!" Genis exclaimed, and commenced rambling. "Your face is completely white! It's all my fault. I got carried away and kept making her pull her wings in and out!" His eyes widened in fear that he'd somehow broken Colette.

Lloyd raised an eyebrow at him. "I don't think that has anything to do with it…"

"Now's not the time for that!" Raine snapped. She knelt in front of Colette, shooing Lloyd away. He barely backed away. "Her lips are turning purple. We must get her to a doctor in the city immediately."

"Wait." Kratos' calm tone was such a contrast compared to Raine's urgent one. "It's best not to move her."

"_Why?"_ Lloyd sounded outraged, but I understood what Kratos was saying.

"Remember what Remiel said? Colette has to be strong, right?" It pained me to say these words, because Colette was clearly suffering, but even _I_ knew that Remiel hadn't lied- at least not about this, anyway.

"But-"

"Lloyd, remember the angel's words," Kratos interrupted. "The angel transformation process requires her to overcome a trial. Rather than taking her to a doctor, it would be best to let her rest here."

"Remiel wouldn't tell us that if she was in danger," I said. "T-That's what I think anyway."

"Okay…" Lloyd's shoulders hunched in defeat. He clearly wasn't happy about the decision being made.

"I'm…okay," Colette assured him feebly. "I'll be fine after a little rest. I'm sorry to cause so much trouble…"

Lloyd seemed almost amused at this. "Stop apologizing all the time, you dork! It's not as if you can help it- you were suddenly turned into an angel."

"You're right…" She sighed sadly. "I'm sorry."

He sighed too, for a different reason. "Well anyway…let's set up camp before it gets dark."

Everyone agreed, and we began to unpack our supplies.

* * *

By the time we'd set up camp and had supper cooked, night had fallen and Colette seemed to be a little bit better. She didn't have an appetite, but at least her smile didn't seem quite as pained as before.

"Man, Genis!" said Lloyd enthusiastically. He shoveled another forkful of tofu curry that the young half-elf had made into his mouth. He talked with a mouthful of food. "Who knew you could cook?"

"Thank Martel my cooking skills weren't hereditary…" Genis muttered. "And anyway, isn't there some kind of Dwarven Vow against eating with your mouthful?"

I laughed and took a bite of my own food. The three of us sat a little away from the fire with Noishe sleeping soundly nearby, while Raine and Kratos discussed plans for tomorrow and Colette stared into the fire, looking deep in thought.

"Nah, I don't think so!" Lloyd informed him. Genis grinned at me- clearly Lloyd had a hard time realizing when he was being made fun of. Poor kid.

"I meant to ask about that…" I said hesitantly. "I don't mean to pry, but um, you were saying last night how your dad was a dwarf and I also heard you talking to Kratos about it earlier and, well-"

I noticed Kratos perk up ever-so-slightly from the fire.

"It's fine," said Lloyd. "Dirk isn't my real dad. He found me in the woods around Iselia as a baby with Noishe and my mother's Exsphere." His face hardened. "She was killed by Desians."

I felt something plummet inside of me. So _that's_ why he hated Desians so much. They killed his mother. I fought to keep a stoic face.

"Um, do you mind if I ask why?"

He gave a shrug. "I think it had something to do with my Exsphere, but I'm not sure why. They wanted it for some reason."

"But, um, they didn't get it, right?" I said with forced optimism.

"Mhm." He stared off distantly.

"Lloyd…" I unintentionally let my fork drop to my plate with a clatter. "I'm so sorry."

He looked surprised. "Why? It's not like it's your fault." He laughed. "You're starting to sound like Colette!"

I forced a smile. "Ah, I guess you're right." But I _did_ have to apologize. No one else was going to, and because I was one of them, I felt personally responsible.

Lloyd was already off the subject though. He was moving on to something more…_exciting_. At least in his opinion anyway.

"So Aurelia, what's up with you magic and stuff?"

"'Magic and stuff'?" I repeated. "Such as…?"

"You know! How you could open that door, and that cool move you used with the ice! And you don't even use an Exsphere or anything! Where'd you learn to fight like that?"

"My mother," I quickly lied. _My mother? _Yep, it was pretty much the first thing I thought of.

"Really?" Raine spoke up from the fire. "I thought you had no memory of your family."

_Uh-oh…_ "Um, not much. Pieces keep coming back to me. Not much, but little things like that- I remember she was a really good fighter. We used to train a lot…" I stared down at my plate sadly, wishing this statement was true. I couldn't remember anything about my parents. Lord Yggdrasill and Lady Pronyma were the only people I could remember from my life before arriving in Sylvarant.

"She taught me everything I know," I finished in a whisper.

"It truly is fascinating," said Raine. "Such spectacular magic display from a human!"

Human…this only confirmed that she and Genis, who should have been able to sense that I had the mana of a half-elf, somehow couldn't. They thought I was a human, which, sure, was convenient, but I still wanted to know why they couldn't tell what I was.

"Your magic and fighting skills will no doubt prove useful as we continue on our journey…" She rambled on about magical properties and the study of such advanced spells. Her eyes seemed to glaze over. She was slipping into on of her "Raine fits", as Lloyd and Genis called it.

"I'm going to go talk to Colette," Lloyd muttered, and headed over to sit next to her. He spoke loudly, so as to drown out Raine's talk of catalysts and elemental attributes. I was nodding politely, but at this point I barely had any clue of what she was talking about.

"Hey Colette, I know it's kind of late now, but here's your birthday present…" He fished a necklace out of his nearby bag and handed it to her.

Her smile fell as she looked at it. "Oh no…it's broken."

"It is?" Lloyd asked, puzzled. He took the necklace, which was in two pieces, back from her. "I wonder when it broke. I'm sorry; I'll make you a new one."

"Thanks…and…I'm sorry that I keep causing trouble for you." _There she goes apologizing again…_

"Don't worry about it," he told her gently. "By the way, you haven't been eating at all. Are you still feeling sick?"

"No, I'm fine." She sounded nervous. "I just…don't...seem to have much of an appetite.

"You won't be able to keep up your strength if you don't eat," Lloyd pressed.

"…I know. You're right." She started coughing.

"Lloyd, don't push her," Raine cut off from her rant to scold him.

"Colette is delicate," Genis chimed in. "Unlike you."

Lloyd shot him an angry look. "S-Shut it!" He turned back to Colette. "I'm sorry, Colette."

"No, no, I'm okay…" she assured him. "I'm sorry for worrying you."

I had to stifle a laugh as Lloyd shook his head slowly. Apologizing was like a second nature to this girl.

Colette stood and stretched her arms out. "I'm going to go for a little walk," she announced.

"Want me to come?" Lloyd offered.

"Thanks, but…I'll fine by myself." She strolled away, leaving Lloyd looking slightly disappointed.

As soon as she was out of hearing range, Genis sang, "Ha-ha! You got re-ject-ed!"

"Hey shut up Genis!" he said, blushing angrily.

I giggled. "Someone's getting a little defensive, aren't we?" To distract myself from the hostile glare I was receiving, I turned to Raine. "But he does have a point. Shouldn't _someone_ go with Colette? I mean, should she really be alone right now?"

"She should be fine," Raine replied. "Besides, she seems to be feeling a lot better now."

Lloyd stared after where Colette had gone. "…Yeah. It looks like becoming an angel is pretty rough."

"Yes," the professor agreed. "I wonder her biological structure is changing."

He looked clueless. "Bio…what?"

I sighed. "In other words, she's wondering if Colette is becoming some other kind of life form, besides a human." I didn't bother adding how pointless this wondering was, because we already knew that Colette was becoming an angel.

"Precisely."

"Colette is Colette," Lloyd said simply.

Raine considered this. "Yes, you're right. You always point out the truth."

"Ah, well…" he looked modest.

"It's because he lives only by instinct," Genis whispered to me. Lloyd shot him another glare, and even Raine laughed a little.

* * *

We left early the next day, and thankfully Colette was back to her cheerful self. Our next destination was the Ossa Trail, and Kratos estimated that it shouldn't take much more than half the day, considering the ruins' location.

Kratos wasn't too off. We'd risen with the sun, so by the time we reached the Ossa Trail it was probably roughly around two in the afternoon. The trail snaked up through the mountains, but it didn't appear to be too steep. I welcomed _anything_ after all that stupid sand. If I ever returned to that desert again, it would be too soon. We rested for a bit upon arriving, but of course this idea didn't fly with Noishe, and he ran up the trail ahead of us.

"Shouldn't we go after him?" I asked panickedly, but Lloyd just waved it off.

"He'll be fine."

As we started on our way up the mountain path, we heard a voice cry out.

"_Stop!_"

We all stopped in alarm. Seemingly out of nowhere, a figure landed gracefully on her feet before us.

The girl had black tied up in a spiky bun, her brown eyes narrowed at us. She wore a short purple kimono over dark tights, tied by a big pink bow and paired with matching boots and armbands. The kimono was cut quite low, revealing part of the white bra she wore underneath and her certainly…developed, figure.

Lloyd tensed. "What?"

"Is she a friend of yours, Lloyd?" Colette asked brightly.

"Not that I'm _aware_ of," he replied sarcastically.

"Is the Chosen of Mana among you?" the woman, seemingly some kind of ninja, asked us.

"Oh, that's me!" said Colette.

I held my face in my hands, groaning. This girl _obviously_ meant us harm! _Why would Colette admit to something like that?_

Alright Aurelia, calm down. You're jumping to conclusions. Just because she _looks_ and kind of _acts _like an assassin, that doesn't mean she is one. You don't know- maybe she's some kind of…devout follower of the Chosen? Yes that must be it. A devout follower of the Chosen who likes to yell scarily at her.

"_Prepare to die!_" Yeah. She was definitely an assassin. She drew three cards from her kimono and rushed at us.

Remember that word that I kept saying when Botta was chasing me through Triet? I was pretty much using it in a steady chant right about now.

Colette cried out in surprise and tripped, falling against a lever sticking out of the ground that I'd somehow overlooked.

Just as it seemed the assassin was about to reach us, the ground beneath her…opened? Yep, it opened, and she fell through, letting out a scream that slowly faded the further down she fell. We all froze, each person uttering something along the lines of "Uh-oh…"

A loud crash sounded from the depths of the hole.

Colette jumped to her feet, looking panicked. "Oh no! What should I do? I did it again…"

_Did what again?_ I wondered drily. _Saved all of our lives? The nerve!_

"You don't need to worry about it," said Raine. "If she had not fallen in, you might have been killed."

"But-"

"Don't worry about it," Lloyd said firmly. "It looks like she's an enemy."

Still, despite the fact of her almost killing us, I couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for her. She _had_ just fallen down a hole, and she never even saw it coming.

Colette turned back to the hole. "I hope she's okay…"

Genis examined the hole and made some calculations. "Even assuming her weight to be 45kg, and this hole to be 10m deep, and calculating the gravity constant at 9.8, the impact shouldn't have been fatal.

…Okay, what?

Lloyd's face was a giant question mark. "Gravity…constant?" he repeated with confusion. I found myself thankful to not be the only clueless one. "I don't understand what you just said, but she's alive, right?"

"Probably."

"Still, man, she's got some bad luck." Lloyd peered into the hole. "Standing right on top of a trapdoor and all."

"It's not a trap," Raine informed him. "It's a hidden maintenance passage for the mountain path."

Kratos looked _almost_ impatient. "…We should get moving."

"Hey!" said Lloyd. "Shouldn't we try to find out who that woman was?"

"She'll come after us again on her own," he said, like it was supposed to reassure us. "This area is too confined and the footing is poor. It would be wise not to linger."

"But someone's _after_ the Chosen!" I exclaimed in protest. "Shouldn't we-?"

He cut me off with a fully impatient stare and kept walking. Without another word, we all followed.

The path wasn't too long. It was pretty straightforward, and although there were a good amount of monsters to fight, it couldn't have taken more than a couple hours to reach the other side. I was just thankful that no bandits showed up.

The path finally sloped downwards and onto flat ground. Along the side of the mountain, I noticed, was a huge wooden blockade of sorts.

"Hey Raine-" I pointed at it. "-what is that for?"

She glanced at it. "I'd say it's probably for-"

The wood came crashing down, revealing the large mouth of a cave and one, breathless, very pissed-looking assassin.

Oh. Hell.

"Wow…" said Lloyd in disbelief. "She caught up with us."

"Oh, thank goodness!" Colette looked extremely relieved to see that the ninja had survived the fall.

"Colette…" I groaned. "She's trying to kill you!"

"D-Don't move!" The card in the assassin's hand shook slightly, and the comment seemed directed at Colette.

"Or what?" I prompted. "You'll fall down a hole again?"

Genis and Lloyd snickered, while the assassin's face reddened.

"I won't be caught off guard this time!" she fumed, and pulled out another card. It hovered in front of her, and she made a series of hand motions. A creature sprang into existence behind her- it was slightly humanoid in appearance, but it had a lot of the characteristics of a bird, and long, scythe-like hands. It hovered behind her, with a big disc behind it depicting all eight of the elements. The wind symbol was glowing.

May I repeat- oh. _Hell!_

"_Prepare to die!" _she cried, and sent a train of cards flying towards Colette, at the same time that the weird creature took a swing at me.

I immediately reached for my spear and unfolded it, just in time to use the body to block the attack of the summoned creature. Kratos ran at the assassin to protect Colette, who had taken to fighting with her wings out so she could fly around.

"Defeat the Guardian Spirit first!" Raine ordered as she finished casting Force Field on Kratos and Colette. "Otherwise we won't land a hit on her, because it's going to protect her!"

Kratos stayed near Colette so that the assassin wouldn't hit her, while Lloyd and I fought the Guardian (as Raine had called it).

The Guardian sent forth blades of wind at us, and as I jumped back to avoid them, I noticed Colette chanting some sort of prayer. It all became clear when I saw the spell circle beneath her.

"Holy wings," she chanted. "I beg of thee to reveal thy glory- _Angel Feathers!_"

Feather-shaped blades of light shot forth from her wings and sliced at the Guardian. Looks like Colette had learned a new attack at the seal.

Taking advantage of the Guardian's brief stumble, I rushed forward to attack the Guardian. It swiped its scythe arms at my feet and knocked them right out from under me. I landed on my back with a painful thud. The Guardian reared its arm back to swipe at me while I was down and I rolled away last minute. I gulped when I saw the tip of the blade strike the dirt right beside my face. Way, way, _way_ too close!

I quickly hopped up and ran back while Lloyd distracted it up close. I yelled out, "Reach!" and the blade of my spear shone white and grew ten times longer, allowing me to stab it from far away. Before it had a chance to knock my spear out of my hand, the blade returned to normal.

Meanwhile, Genis played with his kendama, and a brown spell circle formed beneath him. "It's pancake time," he said with a smirk. "_Stalagmite!"_

Pillars of rock shot up from the ground beneath the Guardian, causing it to be sent flying up into the air and fall crashing to the ground. The wind creature had been weakened by the earth attack.

Before it had a chance to recover, I ran forward and stuck my spear into the ground to launch myself into the air. I did a sort of flip, pulling my spear out of the dirt in the process, and aimed my landing at the Guardian's body with the spear pointing downwards. It ended with a stab straight through its chest and I cried, "_Predator!"_

I jumped back as the creature flew up and swiped at me. However, I wasn't fast enough, and the creature cut a nice line across my shoulder. I grasped at it in panic, and my stomach churned when I pulled my hand away and saw all the blood that was flowing freely from the wound.

Raine cast First Aid and I felt the cut heal, but the fresh blood was still there, and it was freaking me out more than just a little.

_Get over it!_ I told myself. _There's a fight going on, and you're worried about a little blood?_

I gritted my teeth and lunged at the creature in a series of fierce stabs and swipes.

"Aim for the card!" Kratos suddenly shouted. He held his shield up to guard his face from the assassin's cards and took a swing at her. She flipped backwards and ran at him again twice as fast.

Lloyd obeyed Kratos' orders and lunged towards the assassin, who was busy trying to get at Colette. She was controlling cards and sending them flying left and right- how did she manage to levitate them like that? Anyway, since she was so distracted with Colette and Kratos, she didn't see Lloyd sneak up behind her until it was too late, and he sliced the single card that floated in front of her in half.

The Guardian was just about to attack me. I had no time to dodge, so I squeezed my eyes shut and braced myself for the blow.

It never came.

I cautiously opened one eye, only to find that the Guardian was gone, and the group had moved on to attacking the assassin.

She was _fast._ I realized this as I swung my spear at her and continued to miss. Lloyd was a quick-hitter, so he didn't have much trouble with it, but with my heavy spear _just_ too slow, I decided to try something else.

"Can't even land a hit?" she challenged. "Am I just too fast for you?"

I tossed my spear aside. "_Claw!" _I curled all of my fingers in and swiped at her. The image of two large claws appeared, opening a nice gash on her leg.

I grinned smugly at her. "Aw, you were saying?"

She clenched her jaw and sent two, neat columns of cards at me, both of which cut my arms up pretty good. I hissed in pain as more blood ran down my arms and knocked her back with my spear. I sighed in relief as Raine healed me.

I'd knocked the assassin back to Lloyd, who, like I said, didn't have too much trouble keeping up with her. As the two battled, Colette cast another round of Angel Feathers at her, which hit at the same moment Genis cast Wind Blade.

The assassin bounced back fast and lashed out a combo at Lloyd, ending with the flaming swipe of a card and her yelling, "Pyre Seal!" The fire burned Lloyd's cheek, and he swung both swords at her furiously, ending his own combo with Demon Fang- which consisted of sending shockwave-like blades along the ground at her.

She was knocked back to me, and I used Whirlwind, twirling my spear in front of me to block her attacks and send harsh, biting winds at her, and then striking at her. Mine and Lloyd's attacks knocked her to the ground, and as she struggled to stand, she was forced back down by Kratos' Fireball. When she still persisted, her injuries only allowed her to crouch on one knee.

"Ugh…just you wait!" she spat, panting heavily. "I swear I will kill you all next time!" She threw a small gray sphere down and it exploded into a heavy cloud of smoke. When the smog cleared, the assassin was no where to be seen.

"Wait!" Lloyd called out, even though she'd vanished. There was a long pause. "Why are people trying to kill us…?" he wondered.

"There are always those who reject salvation," said Kratos grimly. He sheathed his sword.

"Maybe she's a Desian," Genis guessed.

_I doubt it,_ I thought. Despite all of my confusion, I was almost certain that she wasn't. I know what you're thinking- I said that about Botta too, but this time I was absolutely _positive_. And then there was that Guardian Spirit. Like many other things I'd been seeing, it nagged at my memory. Where had I seen it before…?

"Who knows?" said Kratos, and I jumped because I thought I'd been thinking out loud, but I realized that he was only responding to Genis. "At any rate, we are in constant danger. That's all we have to know."

"But isn't it even more dangerous not knowing who she was?" Lloyd protested. "If she isn't a Desian, then that's a problem. It means there are others who are after Colette!"

"Then we'll deal with it when the problem arises again. There's nothing else we can do about it."

I frowned in thought as I looked at Kratos. It could have been my imagination, but he almost seemed anxious to change the subject.

"Those clothes…"

"Professor?" said Lloyd, snapping the woman out of her daze. "Something wrong?"

"…No, it's nothing. Let's go."

"Yeah," he agreed. "Anyway, let's go look for a place where we can get a ship.

"Izoold isn't too far from here," I recalled.

Kratos stared thoughtfully at me, and for some reason, it was making me mad.

"What?" I said defensively. "It is, isn't it?"

"Yes that's correct. We should make it there by nightfall if we follow the coast. Let us be off." He left abruptly.

"You're probably anxious to take a bath, huh?" Lloyd asked me with a laugh. "You're covered in blood!"

"Aha, yeah. Bath. Right." I barely listened. I was too busy half-glaring after Kratos. What was with him? There was just something about him that was…off. He made me uneasy. Maybe what I'd been feeling the other night in Triet wasn't just paranoia.

Once again, Kratos was right (how was he so precise about these things?). By the time we reached the fishing village of Izoold, the sun was long gone and few people still roamed about on the streets. The ocean's water lapping against the nearby docks was pretty much the only sound.

"It's late," Colette observed.

"Yes," said Raine. "We should check into the inn and find a ship first thing tomorrow.

Noishe had met us at the entrance to the village, so we tied him up in the horse stable, and checked into the inn. We were all pretty worn out from all the long walking and the fight with the assassin, so we all went straight to our rooms, I going after I had a chance to bathe and wash all of the dried blood off of me.

As I lay in bed, my head was pounding from all of the questions continuing to cram themselves into my skull. Who was that mysterious, yet clumsy, assassin, and why was she after Colette? But more than that, I was thinking about Kratos.

…No, not in that way. Although he _was _really good-looking, I couldn't help but wonder what it was about him that irked me so much. He was just so…detached. Secretive.

_Don't even _start _to throw words like that around, Aurelia, _my inner voice scolded. _If anyone has a right to call someone secretive, it certainly isn't _you_._

I sighed forlornly and sunk myself down further underneath the covers. Colette snored softly in the bed next to mine. I fully accepted sleep that night, hoping that maybe it would spare me from having to think about all of this.

* * *

The next day, we hit the docks and asked the first man we found about passage to the port city of Palmacosta.

"There aren't any passenger ships running," the man we asked told us.

"Argh! Why?" Lloyd shouted in frustration.

"Why what?" the man asked blankly.

"Why aren't there any passenger ships running?" Genis fumed. "Duh!"

"Because it's too dangerous," he replied. "I only got here by getting a ride on a boat from a man named Aifread."

"Well, that's perfect!" I said happily. "Do you know where we could find him?"

The man blinked. "Find who?"

"_Aifread!" _Genis and I exclaimed together. This guy was really starting to test my patience.

"Aifread? Oh no, he's not here anymore. He said he was going back to his hometown.

We all sighed in disappointment as the clueless man sauntered away, whistling as he went.

"Now what?" Lloyd grumbled.

"Let's look around some more!" Colette suggested. "Someone must be able to help us, right?"

"Your optimism is inspiring," I told her wearily.

The six of us continued along the docks, asking sailors left and right for passage across the sea. No one was willing to risk the monsters, and Colette didn't feel comfortable using her status to force anything out of anyone, so we were very much out of luck.

"Another no," said Genis dejectedly, after being rejected yet again. "That last guy even laughed at us."

Just then, a girl wearing a bandana paced by us, looking lost in thought as she muttered to herself.

"How can I quell these feelings I have?" she said longingly. "…Aifread…"

We all perked up at hearing the sailor's name. Genis thought for a moment, and then ran up to her.

"If you're looking for Aifread, we heard he went back to his hometown."

The girl glanced down at him, her eyes wide with disbelief. "What did you say? Is that true?"

"Ah…yeah," he said awkwardly. "Isn't it, Lloyd?"

"Yeah," Lloyd confirmed. "So it seems, anyway…"

"If it's even the same guy," I chimed in.

"Of course it is!" she cried. "This is my chance!" She ran back along the docks towards one of the ships. Curious, we all followed after her to see what was going on. We found her speaking angrily with a young sailor, one whom we'd neglected to ask.

"What's the matter with you?" she raged. "You're going to refuse my request? He's returned to his hometown of Luin!"

"Lyla, it's not like that," the sailor said gently. Almost timidly. "There are giant monsters at sea now. It's dangerous, and I care about you too much to let you come aboard. That's all."

"Fine," she sniffed, holding out an envelope. "Then _you _go deliver the letter for me."

He looked outraged. "No! Why should I have to act as a go-between for my rival in love?"

Lyla sighed irritably. "Oh please, stop whining, Max! Fine!" She suddenly turned to us. "You there, excuse me."

"Us…?" Colette asked blankly

"Do you see anyone else here?" Why, hello there, attitude. I'm Aurelia, pleasure to meet you! "I'd like you to deliver this letter for me to Aifread in Luin."

"Well, that's gonna be a problem…" Lloyd braced himself for the retort as he said this.

"Why?"

"We can't deliver it if we can't cross the ocean," he explained.

"If you deliver it, I'll have Max take you on his boat," she offered.

"You can't be serious!" Max exclaimed.

"Okay," said Lloyd with a grin, ignoring Max's protest.

"Then it's settled! Alright, Max?"

"I-I'm not going to do it," he stammered bravely, but cringed anyway when she yelled in response.

"You're kidding me!" Lyla placed her hands on her hips and glared at him. "Are you saying it's alright if my letter doesn't make it to Aifread?" This girl really seemed like a joy and a pleasure to be acquainted with.

Max paled at having the girl he clearly loved yell at him like this. That or he was terrified of her. I'd understand that.

"L-Lyla!" he spluttered. "No I mean, it's not…I don't mean that…"

"Then what _do_ you mean?" she snapped, causing Max to flinch. Poor guy. "If you keep making a fuss about this, I'll just do it on my own!"

She and Max held eye contact for a long couple of minutes, until Max seemed to decide she had no problem going through with it.

He sighed in defeat. "…Okay, okay. I'll go, I'll go." He scratched the back of his head in annoyance. "Dammit…"

Lyla smirked in satisfaction. "You should've just said that from the start," she said triumphantly.

He muttered something about Aifread under his breath that didn't sound too pleasant.

Lyla approached me, since I was the closest to her, and handed me the envelope. "Then it's in your hands now. Make sure it gets to him."

"Yes, ma'am!" I said cheerfully. "The Aurelia Nobelle delivery service is open for business!"

She gave me a glare to show she didn't appreciate my sarcasm, but otherwise didn't respond. Without another word to Max, or even a thanks to us, she walked off.

"She's really pushy," Lloyd observed.

I stowed the letter away in one of my belt's compartments. "I'd say."

There was an awkward silence, during which we all looked at Max, who stared back, looking aggravated.

"Let me know when you're ready to leave," he said shortly, and hopped off the dock onto his boat.

Colette frowned. "I feel kind of bad for just forcing him into it like this…"

"Ah, don't worry about it too much," Lloyd said dismissively. "Once the world is regenerated, he'll be thanking you!"

"It is necessary to continue," Kratos agreed.

She still seemed unconvinced, but nodded anyway.

"We should restock our supplies before setting sail," the mercenary continued. "He mentioned monsters at sea. We should best prepare ourselves for the worst."

We all spent the next 20 minutes or so at the market buying food, gels, life and panacea bottles, and a couple of magic lenses at Raine's request. Once we had everything we thought we might need, we headed back along the docks to Max's boat.

He looked up from whatever he was doing as we approached. "Are you ready?"

Lloyd nodded. "Yes."

"Okay, then let's set sail." He sounded less than enthused. "Don't blame me if we run into any monsters."

_Oh great. He completely hates us. That's going to be fun, considering we have to spend the next couple days with him at sea!_

Max had already set up the gangplank, so we were able to board the ship right away. Raine looked absolutely _thrilled_ at this fact- and by thrilled? I mean terrified.

Lloyd paused and let out a loud, piercing whistle. Within seconds Noishe came bounding down the length of the docks, knocking over stalls and even a couple people as he went. He skidded to a halt in front of Lloyd, showering his face with wet kisses. Lloyd seemed oblivious to the fact that everyone on the docks was staring at this monstrosity of a dog that was Noishe.

Max glanced up again. "There is _no way._"

"Huh?" said Lloyd, as he petted his beloved "dog". "What are you talking about?"

"I don't know what the _hell_ that thing is, but there is no way I'm letting it on my ship!"

"Noishe is my dog!" Lloyd protested. "He has to come with us! He can't just stay behind. Who knows what'll happen to him?"

"I don't _care_," Max said firmly. "Look at the size of it! It'll manage on its own. Besides, have you seen the path of destruction that thing just made? There's no way. He'll- he'll sink the ship!"

"No he_won't!" _Lloyd argued. "Noishe will behave perfectly, right Noishe?"

The dog barked in response.

"See? He'll behave! I _promise!_"

"Ugh, fine!" Max grumbled. "Bring your 'dog'. We're probably getting attacked by monsters anyway!" He threw his hands up in frustration and turned away from us.

"Thanks!" Lloyd said joyfully. He and Noishe both jumped over the side of the boat, despite its being pretty far from the dock. "Now we can finally go to the next seal!"

"Yeah!" Colette cheered, following him.

"It really hasn't been that long since the last one, though," I pointed out, as I, too, walked across the gangplank. "It's been what, not even two days?"

"Lloyd has very little patience," said Genis in an explanatory manner. "So it probably feels like an eternity to him, right Lloyd?"

When Raine wasn't looking, Lloyd shot the boy a very rude hand gesture.

Speaking of Raine, she was looking extremely uneasy as she basically crawled across the gangplank and eased herself onto the ship. She glanced around apprehensively and said, "I was afraid this journey would force me on a boat sooner or later."

Kratos followed wordlessly after us.

With that being said, Max finished up preparations and soon we set sail from the dock and were on our way to Palmacosta.

* * *

**Yay for going to Palmacosta! Yay for Aurelia showing off her sense of humor now that she's comfortable in her surroundings! Hurrah!**

**Also, yay for reviews! ...you know, if you wanna ;)**


	6. Pretty Much the Worst Boat Ride Ever

**...haha heeeey guys :D**

**Oh my goodness I cannot apologize enough for how late this update is. I mean, my last update was last year for pete's sake! ;D  
That being said, HAPPY NEW YEAR! Even though New Year's isn't something I really celebrate, I still hope your year is filled with sugar and smiles.**

**Anyways, about my lateness. Again, I'm so sorry. So much has been going on though. First of all, I had a twelve page short story to write for writing class (it's about witches and I kinda love it). So that took up some time. Plus, when I wasn't working on that, I had drama practice pretty much everyday, and lived at the school for the weekend we put it on (Aladdin. It owned). Plus I just got Tales of Symphonia, Dawn of the New World! It's all I did for about a week, and of course I quit at the end because I didn't want it to be over XD  
It was good, but a bit short for my liking. Oh, plus I have 23482348234 english questions to do which I probably should be working on right now...**

**Anyhoo, I've been working on this whenever I found time. Sorry if it's kinda short, and a tad pointless, but the next update will come before the New Year. I promise ;)**

* * *

"We're at sea! We're at sea!" Genis cried joyously. He was running all over the place excitedly. It had already been 15 minutes of sailing, and he still wasn't getting over the novelty of it.

"Settle down!" said Lloyd. "This thing's tiny. Do you want to fall out?"

I cringed slightly at the expression Max made at this. He already hated us, why did Lloyd have to go insulting his ship to make things worse? I mean, the ship wasn't _that_ tiny. It had an average-sized deck, with a cabin that had stairs on one side leading up to the wheel. We were lucky enough to have _gotten_ a ship in the first place, so I wasn't complaining.

"Gee, I'm so sorry my ship is too 'tiny' for you," Max said bitterly.

I started to apologize for Lloyd's rudeness, but I was cut off as Colette, of course, tripped and almost went tumbling over the side.

"I'm gonna fall!" she exclaimed. Kratos grabbed the back of her dress and pulled her back.

Max looked even more insulted and headed up the stairs to the wheel.

His anger just now had made me feel even worse about this whole situation. He probably immensely hated us, and _that_ is certainly what you need when you're going to be spending three days at sea with a person.

"He's really mad," I noted, watching as he broodingly handled the wheel's spokes. "Colette can't you-"

"Please stop asking that, Aurelia," she said, because yes, I had brought the prospect up a few times. She dropped her voice to a whisper. "I don't want to tell him that I'm the Chosen One. It's not going to change anything."

"Of course it will!" said Lloyd. "He won't be nearly as hateful, plus he'll feel awfully sorry for being so cold to us!"

"Exactly. He'll just feel _obligated_ to help us. To be nice to us. I think…I think it will only make him resent us more." She gave her small shoulders a shrug. "I don't know. I can't explain it, but…it just wouldn't feel right."

"She probably doesn't want people to think that she expects special treatment simply for being the Chosen One," Kratos elaborated. "Would that be correct?"

"Y-Yes."

"Well _I'm_ going to go talk to him," I said, and when Colette shot me a panicked look, I added, "Relax, Colette. Not about _you._ I'm just going to see if I can get him to calm down a little. Maybe make friends with him?"

"_You_ sure are optimistic," Lloyd muttered.

I ignored him and went up the stairs to join Max at the wheel.

"Hello!" I said cheerily.

He promptly ignored me.

"Nice day for sailing?" I tried again.

"Fine enough," he said gruffly, and that was it.

I sighed lightly. Clearly idle conversation was an approach that was going to get me nowhere. I was going to have to just go in for the kill.

"Look, Max, I'm really sorry for all of this."

"Mhm."

"Really, I am. If it weren't for us, you wouldn't be risking your life on these seas." Well, technically it was Lyla's fault for giving us that letter to deliver, but I wasn't about to make matters worse by placing the blame on the woman he loved.

"You and Lyla," he said moodily.

"Well…yeah…" I bit my lip and squinted in the bright sunlight. "But if we hadn't been there, there'd be no one to deliver it and-"

"Don't worry yourself over it." He finally met my eyes. His were surprisingly apologetic. "It's Lyla- she'd find a way to get me to deliver that thing one way or another. So, I guess I shouldn't be mad at you all- you were just in the wrong place at the wrong time."

I allowed myself to smile a little. "Even so, maybe it's lucky you found us! I mean, Kratos is a mercenary, so fighting's pretty much his job, and Raine's a healer and Colette-" I stopped myself. _Is _not _the Chosen. Not when you're talking to Max._ "Well, she's pretty good too. Don't worry about it, alright? If monsters do attack, you're in good hands."

He sighed what appeared to be a sigh of relief. "Well that's good to hear. So what are you all going to Palmacosta for, anyway?"

I forced my eyes to remain a normal size. "Um…we uh, we're visiting the Academy." I glanced at Genis. Yeah, he seemed intelligent enough to attend that school. "Genis is enrolling there."

"Ahh, I see." He nodded in acceptance of this answer. "An awful big group just for that, though."

"We'll miss him," I said quickly. Wow, did my lying sound as bad to others as it did to me? If so, I needed to work on it. "Anyway, um, that Lyla. She seemed…nice."

"Lyla?" He burst out laughing, and I finally felt all the former tension ease away. "Lyla is _not_ nice. It's not in her nature to be nice. But she's full of spirit and she's confident and beautiful and-" He cut off, probably before he started a full-on rant.

"You really like her, huh?"

He reddened slightly. "Um, yeah."

"But she likes Aifread," I stated. "So who is he anyway?"

"Aifread is this pirate that comes to the village all the time," said Max, and I could hear the disgust plain in his voice. "Every time he leaves Lyla just gets really depressed and I hate it because she can't see that he's no good for her. That she's definitely not the only one he fools around with." He shook his head and looked at me. "I just don't know what she sees in him."

"Being a pirate _does_ sound pretty amazing," I said, but caught myself when I saw his expression. "I mean, um, who _wouldn't_ choose a hard-working fisherman with an honest living and a bright future over a smelly, vulgar, um, dangerous pirate." I smiled sheepishly.

"It's fine," he said tiredly. "Just, after having her heart played with so much by that rogue, you think Lyla would finally understand she should give up on him."

"And go for you?" I questioned. When he didn't answer, I said, "Well _I _think she should. In my opinion, you're a great guy and any girl would be lucky to have you. I _mean_ it, Max." The last part was added because he was still looking doubtful.

He gave a small smile. "Thanks, um…"

"Aurelia," I supplied.

"Uh, right. I knew that. Aurelia, thanks."

That night, after eating a meal cooked by Kratos, we all took our sleeping places. Max allowed Colette, Raine and I (as we were the only females) to sleep inside the cabin, but I let Genis take my place and slept outside, above the cabin by the wheel.

I stared up at the starry sky. My brain was consumed with the many questions left unanswered, as usual. It also kept flitting back to Palmacosta. Our destination. I'd bet any amount of gald that the city was close to a human ranch, filled with Desians that were sure to give away my identity. Colette's bright voice echoed through my mind.

"_Maybe you'll find someone you know? Palmacosta's a pretty big city, with lots of people, so maybe…"_

That was just my problem. Lots of people. Maybe I _would_ find someone I knew. As in maybe I'd run into a Desian who recognized me and gave away who I was to Colette and the others. So many things could go wrong that I didn't even dare to let my mind give in to the horrible ideas.

My choice seemed simple and obvious: I had to leave this group once we hit Palmacosta. Before I became too attached.

But there was the flaw in that blatantly obvious choice- what if I already _had_ gotten attached?

* * *

Sometime in the afternoon that day, I stood standing at the railing, staring at the horizon. I know Max had said the trip would probably take three days, but I found myself anxious to arrive. I'd been distant all morning, thinking of the choice I'd made and only that. If I allowed myself to speak to anyone, they might change my mind. My resolve could totally crumble.

My aloofness was clearly noticeable, because Colette decided to confront me about it. She skipped over to me, forcing a huge grin.

"Hey Aurelia! How are you?"

"Colette, hi," I greeted bleakly. "I-I'm fine."

The smile she wore half of the time was replaced with the look of concern she wore the other half.

"What's wrong? Aren't you excited to go to Palmacosta?"

"Umm…" I didn't meet her eyes. Upsetting Colette would be like upsetting a puppy. Utterly heartbreaking. "Right. About Palmacosta- I um, think it would be best if we parted ways there."

"What?" Her blue eyes were wide with alarm. "Why?"

"It's nothing personal!" I said quickly. "I promise! It's just, I feel like I'm intruding…like I shouldn't be here." It was just an excuse, something I'd come up with on the spot, but I found myself realizing that the words were kind of true.

"How could you think that?" she began to argue.

"_Because._ I mean, you all knew each other before you started this journey. Raine is your teacher; Genis and Lloyd are your best friends, and Kratos-" I cut off, casting a glance at the enigmatic mercenary. "Well, I'll admit that you didn't know him before, but the Church of Martel is _paying_ him to be here."

"So you're saying you want us to pay you?" I realized that this time, she wasn't just being clueless. She was purposely missing my point.

"Colette, no." I tried my best not to sound impatient. "What I'm saying is, everyone else has a reason for being here, and I don't. I'm just some girl you met in Triet and let join the group. An extra, essentially."

"You _know_ that none of us feel that way!" She looked hurt that I'd even considered something like that.

"I know. And that's why it's hard- because _I _feel like that." I turned back towards to horizon. It's funny- telling a lie is surprisingly easy when you're quickly discovering that it's not much of a lie. The only thing that kept it from being the stone-cold truth was that I was leaving out why I felt like that- which, of course, was because I really, _really_ didn't belong in the Chosen's group, of all places.

"Aurelia, you can't leave!" Colette insisted. "You're valuable to this group! I swear! Your magic and fighting are incredible, plus, you're our friend-"

"Am I, Colette?" Well, there went all my control, and now I stood close to yelling at the poor girl. Luckily, I managed to keep my tone low enough so that no one else overheard our argument and got involved. "We've known each other for barely a week, and you just assume that I'm trustworthy because I haven't betrayed you yet? Because I'm 'helping' you? Face it, you barely know anything about me, and for all you know-!"

It was _her _turn to cut _me_ off. "There you go again. You were saying stuff like this in Triet too, when I was trying to convince you to come with us. _Do_ you have some kind of dark secret I should know about?"

"_No_," I huffed in annoyance, even though it was technically true. "It's just- I wish you wouldn't trust people so easily! You're too nice for your own good."

"I don't care," she said in what would have been a bold way, but even when she was arguing she sounded nice. "I _do_ trust you. I just…I have this feeling that I can. And I know everyone else trusts you, too."

"Colette…" This was exactly the kind of thing I was hoping to avoid. I could feel my resolve crumbling already.

"Lucky" for me, Lloyd seemed to notice how tense we were and decided to come over and investigate.

"Hey guys," he said hesitantly once he'd reached us. "What's going on? Is everything alright?"

Colette pointed an accusing finger at me. "Aurelia wants to leave us once we reach Palmacosta!"

"_What? Why?"_

I sighed. She just _had_ to get Lloyd involved in this argument, didn't she? Great, now I had no chance of leaving.

"Because she feels like she doesn't have a reason to be here," Colette explained. "She feels like we're stupid for trusting her so easily."

Lloyd whirled on me. "Is that true?"

It took me a while before I meekly responded with, "I didn't call you stupid…"

"You can't leave!" he said angrily. "You've been such a help already, and you're our friend! Who else is Genis going to gang up on me with?"

"Lloyd-"

"And what's this crap about not trusting you? Why wouldn't we? You've given us no reason not to."

"You don't know me!" I said, exasperated. "For instance, what's my favorite color?"

"Purple," he responded. How did he-? I don't even-?

"You guessed!" I shot back.

"So? I was right, wasn't I? Look, Aurelia, you say we shouldn't trust someone we don't know? Let's change that. Genis!" He motioned towards the young boy, who came running over.

"What are you doing?" I asked cautiously.

"What's up Lloyd?" Genis looked from the angry Lloyd, to the distraught Colette, and finally to the apprehensive me. He himself looked confused.

Mischief flashed in Lloyd's eyes. "Well, we're gonna get to know Aurelia better. Ask her a million questions until we know her inside and out!" He grinned at me. "Won't that be fun?"

"You're evil," I said with a sigh.

He turned serious for a moment. "Look, I don't know why this is such a big deal to you, but just hear me out, okay? We'll get to know you better, and if, when we get to Palmacosta, you still feel like leaving, then I won't stop you. But just give it a chance, alright? Because none of us want you to leave."

With each word he said my depression sunk further in. He just didn't get it, and I couldn't even tell him why I was really so upset. Anything I said to get out of this wasn't going to help either way, so I finally gave in.

"Alright!" I plopped down onto the wooden planks beneath me. "Ask away."

Lloyd's face lit up, along with Colette's as the two of them sat down beside me. Genis still looked confused as he sat down.

"What first?" I asked.

Lloyd immediately started firing the questions at me in a very serious, business-like manner.

"Exact age?"

"20," I replied.

He paused. "Really? You look younger than that though. You're so tiny."

I shrugged. It didn't really come as much of a surprise- I had always been thin, and a bit on the short side. I looked to be only about 16 or 17.

"Anyway- favorite food?"

"Why is this a relevant question?" I wondered.

"Just answer it!"

"Fine!" I thought about it a couple moments. "Pasta- any kind, really. I also love cupcakes."

"And you hate green peppers!" Colette chimed in.

I let myself smile at that. I knew they were only trying to help, and I felt bad for being angry at them.

"Favorite animal?" Lloyd had barely acknowledged my answer to the previous question, but I could tell he'd stowed it away in the vault.

"Hmm…sheep," I decided. "They're…um…fluffy? And cute?"

Lloyd burst out laughing.

"A sheep?" Genis questioned. "What-? I don't-?"

I rubbed my forehead tiredly. "I don't know, okay? This is-"

"Please don't say stupid," Colette said pleadingly. She looked at the two boys. "Lloyd, Genis, please don't make fun of her, okay?"

Once Lloyd's laughing died down, he continued to bombard me with meaningless questions like when my birthday was, or what my favorite smell was. Meaningless, and yet at the same time they meant _so _much. It was all the little details that friends knew about each other, and they were taking the time to find them out. It felt oddly nice to sit there and tell them all these little details of my life, despite my complaints.

And still, it _was_ twinged with a bit of sadness, because I had to lie about a lot of it. I couldn't tell anything about my family, or where I came from, and even the questions I did answer had to be altered because at the moment, I had no idea of the differences between this world and Tethe'alla. For example- that animal question? The only reason I'd picked a sheep was because I had happened to see one in Izoold, so I knew for sure that they existed in Sylvarant. My _actual_ favorite animal was a penguin, but since there weren't any arctic regions here in Sylvarant, I doubted such a creature existed here.

The insistent questioning must have lasted for hours, at least. Finally, just when I thought I couldn't bear anymore, Kratos approached our little circle. He wore a slightly disturbed look on his face. It was odd and a little unnerving to see him this way, considering the fact that it wasn't really his "thing" to show emotion.

"What is it, Kratos?" I asked, and I saw that Genis was beginning to rise cautiously to his feet.

"Well it's…it's dinnertime." Stumbling over his words- also not a good sign. Colette and Lloyd were also on their feet. Everyone looked so alert and concerned. It was making me kind of scared.

"Kratos, did you cook?" Lloyd asked darkly.

"No…"

"Well who _did _then? Max, right?"

Kratos glanced at Max, who stood by the wheel. "He didn't."

There was a long pause followed by a collective gasp from Lloyd, Genis and Colette as they all seemed to realize at the same time what Kratos was saying.

"Oh no…" Colette said gravely.

"Kratos, you _idiot!"_ Lloyd exclaimed. "How could you let this happen?"

"We're all going to _die!"_ Genis moaned.

I could feel my heart rate quickening with every word said. "What is it?" I asked panickedly. "What's going on?" I scanned the ship. Max was at the wheel, and Raine was nowhere to be seen. "Wait, where's Raine?"

Genis whirled to me. "Aurelia, she's-!" He cut off as Raine's voice rang melodiously from the doorway of the cabin.

"Dinnertime~!" she sang. She was holding a pot of some kind of steaming food. "Who's hungry?"

"I am!" Lloyd said cheerfully. Then, keeping his smile, he muttered to Kratos, "I-hate-you-I-hate-you-I-hate-you-I-hate-you."

"My apologies," he murmured back. "But there's only so much that one man can do when dealing with Raine Sage."

"Genis, is that _really_ what you're all freaking out about?" My panicked expression had dropped to a flat one in an instant.

"You don't understand!" he hissed in response. "Raine's the worst cook in the history of ever!"

"You have to be exaggerating. There's no way she's that bad." Still, I eyed the pot in her gloved hands. Who knew what it contained?

I thought I heard Kratos utter, "You'd be surprised."

I shook my head. They were all just being silly. I was sure Raine was a _fine_ cook…maybe. I guess I was just going to have to be brave.

"What's on the menu?" I asked, attempting to sound enthusiastic. "I'm starving!"

"You won't be soon enough," Lloyd said under his breath.

"Pasta!" she declared.

I felt my face brighten. Pasta! I didn't care how bad she was, no one could ruin pasta for me. It just wasn't possible.

"_But _we had some extra ingredients," she went on, "and I would have had to just throw them away anyway, so I made a special sauce!"

"'Special sauce'?" Genis repeated flatly. "And what exactly-"

"Well, I started with the traditional tomato sauce with beef, but then I thought- tomato is technically a fruit, right? So why wouldn't other fruits taste just as well in a pasta sauce?"

"What did you put in it…?" he asked cautiously.

"Apple slices and kirima!" she said proudly.

"O-Oh…" My stomach churned at the thought of such a bizarre concoction. What person would actually assume that would be good? "Sounds…unique?" I tried.

Raine seemed happy at this response and returned inside to pour our bowls. Several minutes later, we all sat with our plates of fruit-beef pasta, no one having touched it yet. Colette had announced that she wasn't hungry and would eat later (she promised), so that left me and the three males of our group, all of whom were looking expectantly at me. Looks like I really was going to have to be brave.

I stared down at my plate and gulped.

"Go on, try it!" Raine urged.

I nodded and attempted to keep my eyes open as I twirled the spaghetti around my fork and quickly slurped it down, bracing myself for the horrid taste.

Only it didn't come. I had barely tasted it because of how fast I'd swallowed it, but I at least hadn't noticed anything bad. I cautiously took another, slower, bite.

Amazingly, it didn't taste half bad. I couldn't describe quite how it tasted, but it was surprisingly not horrible. That isn't to say I loved it- it was still strange tasting. However, it was bearable.

Lloyd, Genis, Colette and Kratos all watched in amazement as I ate my food without shuddering or having to _force _it down.

"How is it?" Raine asked hopefully.

"Not bad," I told her. "I mean, I love pasta so I might be a bit biased, but no it's not bad."

"Really?" she exclaimed.

"Mhm," I said around another mouthful.

Lloyd appeared to be the next bravest and took a bite, immediately choking and spitting it back onto the plate.

"Aurelia that's a mean trick!" he said accusingly. He wiped angrily at his face.

I blinked in response. "Huh?"

Genis, too, was spitting onto his plate. "How did you lie with such a straight face?"

"Um, well I wasn't lying. I actually don't mind it…"

Kratos was gulping his down fast enough so he wouldn't taste it, but even he joined in on the shocked look the boys gave me.

"Quit yanking my chain!" said Lloyd. "There's no way you can like Raine's cooking. It's horrible! N-No offense, Professor!" he added hastily when he saw the murderous look on Raine's face.

I gave a shrug in response and continued to eat my dinner. I think the rest of the meal passed with the others dumping portions of their food into the sea while Raine wasn't looking (Lloyd tried to feed some to Noishe, who surprisingly behaved well and just laid down most of the time, but even the dog turned his nose up in disgust). I noticed that Colette looked kind of uneasy- she stood by herself wearing a thoughtful frown. I almost considered going to talk to her, but my mind flashed back to hours earlier when Colette wouldn't leave _me _alone with _my_ thoughts.

_She probably wants to be alone,_ I decided. Instead, I went to talk to my new-found friend Max, who stood at the wheel.

"Hey Max!" I greeted. "How's the sea looking?"

"Calm, as far as I can tell," he replied. "The light's fading so it's hard to tell, but we should arrive in Palmacosta sometime tomorrow.

"Again, I'm really sorry about all of this."

"Stop apologizing about it, Aurelia, I already warned you."

I laughed sheepishly, just as Noishe suddenly rose to his feet and started barking like crazy. He ran to and fro across the deck as if he was trying to find an escape (of course, we were at sea, so he didn't have much luck). Instantly, I tensed and my hand flew to my belt.

"What the hell is that damn thing doing?" Max muttered. He shook his head until he noticed me. "Aurelia? What is it?"

I took note that everyone was a lot more alert now. It was safe to say that my assumptions about Noishe's behavior were true.

"Max," I said slowly. "You _might_ want to get inside the cabin."

His face paled impressively. "There's monsters, isn't there? And you guys are actually gonna _fight _them?"

I looked at Kratos for confirmation. "…Are we?"

"The monsters will be used to water, and easily able to out-swim a boat. Our only option is to fight, if we plan on surviving."

A wall of water crashed onto the deck as a huge, sleek fish shot out of the ocean and sailed through the air over our heads. It landed in the water on the other side of the boat with two others close behind it. The third fish to fly over us was so close to hitting Lloyd that he had to duck down quickly.

"Yeah, uh, I'll be in the cabin," Max announced, and he was already on his way through the door.

"They're only fish," said Lloyd. "Nothing special. It should be a piece of cake!"

As if taking Lloyd's statement as a challenge, one of the fish shot into the air again, this time aiming its landing right towards him. The sharp tip of the fish's head sliced through Lloyd's arm like a blade on its way back into the water, which was now polluted by Lloyd's blood.

"Argh!" Lloyd grunted. "Man, that really hurts! Ohhhh, man! _Damn, _it's spreading or something!"

Raine took a look at his wound. "Just as I thought, you've been poisoned." She handed him a panacea bottle as she spoke. "It seems we're dealing with toxic, aquatic creatures capable of short distance gliding.

"So basically, poison flying fish?" Colette questioned.

"…Yes."

"Great," I sighed. I whipped out my spear and readied it.

Just in time, because one fish leapt into the air, and as it passed over the boat, I could not believe what I was seeing- _the fish grew legs! _I'm serious; talon-like feet began to poke out from its scaly flesh, and by the time they were fully grown, the fish stood upright before us, and it was easily as tall as Kratos.

"Nothing special, huh Lloyd?" Genis said rather bitterly. He eyed the fish's blade-like fins nervously. I couldn't really blame him. Out at sea with nowhere to run? That didn't really sound like a good setting for a battle to me.

My terror built as the two other fish followed suit. How were we going to fight in such an enclosed space, with Noishe basically doing back flips all over the place, without one of us being dumped into the sea? This was _not_ going to be easy.

Lloyd had just finished downing the panacea bottle to wash the poison from his system. "Great. This should be a breeze, huh?"

"Your cockiness will prove to be your downfall," said Kratos.

"I was being _sarcastic!"_

Kratos ignored him and lunged towards the closest fish. The fish easily avoided this attack and retaliated with a swipe of its own.

One jumped towards me and I blocked it with the shaft of my spear. I turned this gesture into Whirlwind but before I could end the attack with the final stab, the fish leapt back and shot a steady stream of water at me from its fanged mouth. While this had me off-balance, it moved back in, swiping its blade fins furiously at me.

"Enh!" I staggered backwards into the ship's railing. This was impossible! I was just _waiting_ to hear the splash of someone falling overboard.

"Hah! Demon Fang!" Lloyd shouted as he and Kratos fought off one of the others, at the same time trying to avoid tripping over Noishe. Raine stood up by the wheel casting protective spells, while Colette and Genis had the last one, and since Colette could fly, she didn't have to worry about falling off the ship.

Which was what I was in danger of doing right now. The fish kept at me and I was trying my best to block, but I was already very aware of the wooden railing digging into my back, and I had that sickening feeling that I was going to flip backwards over it at any moment.

With a great, momentous shove, I managed to push the stupid thing far enough away from me to get a swing in. The result was a nice, clean gash across its stomach.

"_Angel Feathers!" _I heard Colette finish. The feathery blades of light that didn't happen to hit her mark sailed past and hit the fish before me. I finished off the disoriented beast with a diagonal strike, just as the others finished off their own enemies.

"Is that it?" Genis asked breathlessly. He clutched his kendama tightly and gazed around.

Of course, this meant that three more fish just _had_ to grow legs and hop aboard.

"That'd be too easy," said Lloyd.

"Watch out for the poison!" Raine reminded.

A fish, easily the biggest, took a swing at me. The blade cut my arm and the poison instantly found its home within my veins. In mere seconds I could feel the venom spreading through my whole body, biting and stinging as it did.

A cool light passed washed over me as Raine cast Recover and the poison was gone.

"Go get Max and tell him to get this ship headed towards Palmacosta!" Kratos ordered. He moved in front of me so I could get to the cabin unharmed.

I burst through the door and didn't waste any time in yelling, "_Max we need you to get this thing headed towards Palmacosta!"_

"Are you _serious?" _he blurted. "There's no _way_ I'm going out there! I'll be killed!"

"But we need you to steer it! _Please _Max!" I said gently, attempting not to roll my eyes. "I promise, I'll protect you." When this still didn't seem to work, an idea occurred to me. "Think about how impressed Lyla will be when you tell her how you bravely steered us through a nest of evil monsters!"

"L-Lyla…alright, I'll do it. Let's go."

He followed me out onto the deck and took to the wheel above the cabin. I rejoined the battle as Max changed the ship's direction towards Palmacosta, which was becoming faintly visible in the far distance. At least I think it was. The sun had sunk below the horizon it was hard to see anything, really.

"Where are they all coming from?" Lloyd exclaimed. He had just slain one when two more appeared to take its place.

"We must have passed over some kind of nest," said Raine.

"There's way too many!" Colette cried.

Suddenly, pillars of light began crashing down from the sky. We all dove to the ground for cover, but it seemed that the beams were only interested in taking down our attackers. They were killed as soon as the light hit them, and I could hear the warbled cries of the fish still underwater that were vanquished.

Lloyd lifted his head and looked around once the light had stopped falling. "W-What the hell…?"

"Noishe has calmed down," Raine observed. "The monsters must all be gone."

"Where did that attack come from?" Genis wondered.

"I dunno," said Lloyd. "But it really helped us out!"

As they all chattered on about the mystery attack, it was quite clear that no one knew what had caused it. So in that case, either I'd been the only one who had seen it, or I'd just imagined the faint outline of a spell circle beneath Kratos just before the light had started.

Taking note of the fact that Kratos had little to add to this conversation, I had a strange inkling that maybe I hadn't imagined it after all.

* * *

***dramatic music*  
Aurelia is getting beeeerrrry suspicous of Kratos :O  
Y'all mighta been expecting Palmacosta in this chapter, but I wanted to actually _do_ something about the whole monsters at sea thing instead of just talking about it and nothing ever happening.**

**Again I say, Merry late Christmas and a Happy New Year! You can review as my present if you'd like :D**


	7. Highest Form of Flattery? I Think Not

**There. I updated _much_ quicker this time.**

**The other day my boyfriend told me I apologized a lot, and I responded with, "Oh, do I? I'm sorry." I felt like Colette -.-**

**Anyways, I just wanted to say thanks to everyone who's reading this, left reviews, etc. I really appreciate it! Please enjoy!**

* * *

Who was Kratos?

As we passed the few remaining hours it took to reach Palmacosta the next day, this question repeated over and over in my mind. I mean, I'd had my suspicions about him before, but I was positive that he'd been the one to cast that spell. It had to have been him- I'd seen the spell circle. It was faint, but there.

But that attack…it was so _powerful_. A mere human couldn't have done something like that. It almost looked like…

No, it couldn't be. There's no way it was possible, but it almost looked like an attack Lord Yggdrasill might use. Positively angelic. However, Kratos was _not_ an angel, he was a human, so therefore, the attack was impossible.

Argh! But it was him! I _know _it was! I saw it!

…This is pretty much the mental argument I continued to have with myself. I just didn't get it. Something was off about Kratos, and I was going to find out even if it killed me!

"We're here!"

Max's announcement snapped me out of my daze and I looked around. It was true- we had just pulled into the Palmacosta port, and from what I could see, it was a beautiful town. All cobblestone streets and rivers and bridges, surrounded by the glistening ocean- the water was so blue and picturesque I was momentarily put in a daze again.

As Max put down the gangplank so we could get off and onto the dock, Lloyd turned to him.

"Thanks Max. What are you going to do now?"

Max shrugged as he set the wooden board into place. "I'll request an escort from a Palmacosta warship or something…well, take care."

"But are you sure you'll be alright?" I asked worriedly as the others started onto the dock. "I mean, with all those monsters…"

"I think that weird light took care of most of them. Thanks anyways, Aurelia. It was good meeting you."

"Likewise, Max." I hopped off the edge of the gangplank.

"Sorry for making you take us all the way out here," said Lloyd. "Be careful on your way back."

"You too," said Max, and with that, he returned to his ship.

"Okay," Lloyd continued. "Let's go look for clues about the next seal."

We started down the street, all of us keeping our ears open towards conversation to see if we could find out anything about the seal's location. Mostly all we heard though was shopkeepers haggling with customers and whatnot.

As we were turning a corner, Colette ran straight into another woman who was carrying a bottle filled with some dark purple liquid. It went crashing to the ground and the glass shattered, the contents spilling everywhere.

"…there she goes again," said Genis with a sigh.

"Oww!" the woman exclaimed. "What did you do that for?" I then noticed that there were two men behind her both looking angrily at Colette, as well as a rather calm looking woman.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Colette cringed.

"Ahh!" the woman shrieked as she took in the shattered potion. "The Palma Potion we just received!"

"Hey lady, that was a very valuable potion!" one of the men snarled. "How are you planning on making up for this?"

"I'll buy a replacement potion right away!" she promised.

"…'replacement potion'?" he repeated in outrage. "Do you seriously think that's going to be enough to appease my anger?"

"Appease his anger"? Who did this guy think he was?

"Oh come on," said Lloyd with an eye roll. "Now you just sound like an idiot." I had to agree.

"What. Did. You. Say?" the man said through gritted teeth. "Do you know who we are?"

"And I should care because…?"

_Here he goes again_. This was like that Desian base all over again.

"Why you little-!"

"Stop," the calm woman said quietly. "I'd like to leave here as soon as we can. Don't start any unnecessary trouble."

"I agree," said the other woman. "Let's just have them replace the potion."

"Bah," the man scoffed. "You got off lucky this time, kid. Hurry up and go buy that potion."

"There's no need to bother, Colette!" said Lloyd.

"Seriously," I agreed. "They're being totally unreasonable about-"

"No, I ran into them," said Colette reluctantly, "so I have to pay for it…"

"…fine, all right," he grumbled.

"Let's find the item shop then," said Genis. He didn't look too happy about giving these jerks what they wanted.

We crossed over a bridge and passed by only a few buildings before we found a shop with a sign labeled "Marble's Tool Shop". We figured this must be it, so we entered…

…and I immediately wanted to turn around and leave. Two Desian soldiers stood arguing with a young girl who had brown hair pulled high into a ponytail and a fierce expression. An older woman who I assumed to be her mother stood nearby with a horrified look on her face.

Desians! Not good, not good, _not good!_

"Oh please!" the girl scoffed. "There's no _way_ anyone would sell those to you at a price so low."

"You should be thankful that we're even willing to spend money for goods from a rundown shack like this," one of the Desians sneered. It was like a slap in the face to see a Desian be so rude to someone, but I guess it was something I was going to have to get used to.

"I don't need to hear that from a bunch of filthy Desians!" she said defiantly. Wow, she and Lloyd could be twins. "I'm not going to sell one single gel to the likes of you."

"Chocolat, stop!" her mother pleaded.

The girl, Chocolat, whirled around to face her mother. "But Mom, these are the same monsters that took Grandma away!"

_Monsters…_ I squirmed uncomfortably where I stood.

"You've got some nerve talking like that to us, little girl! You keep that up, and we can't guarantee what'll happen to you or this city."

"Just try it! As long as Governor-General Dorr is around, we'll never submit to the likes of you!"

He moved like he was going to strike at her, taking his whip from his belt. "You little-!"

"Stop!" the other Desian exclaimed. He grabbed the other's arm. "We'll exceed our quota for this year. We need permission from Lord Magnius to go any further."

He returned his whip to his belt. "Humph."

The second Desian turned to Chocolat. "Depending on Lord Magnius' mood, you might or might not get to keep that pretty little head of yours!"

The two turned and shoved past us. I hid behind Kratos instinctively, but quickly jumped away when I realized what I was doing, and when he gave me a bizarre look.

Chocolat was acting like nothing had even happened. She barely even looked at us as she grabbed her bag and said, "Well then, I'm off to work now, Mom."

"Take care," her mother said.

Chocolat flounced past us without so much as a glance.

The older woman sighed deeply and looked at us. "I apologize for what happened. I'm sure you were startled."

Startled would be one word for how I felt about that.

"Please, relax and take a look around."

We all spread out as much as we could throughout the cozy shop and searched for some Palma Potion, myself more than a bit shaken. I continued to stare blankly at the same one spot on the shelf in front of me.

That had been…those Desians were…I mean, the group had told me that Desians were evil, but to see it firsthand…I was finding it a bit difficult to handle at the moment.

"Can I help you find anything, dear?"

It took a moment for me to realize that the woman was talking to me. "Oh um, yes, we're looking for Palma Potion."

"Ahh, yes. Sorry, I keep it behind the counter." She reached down and set a bottle on the countertop. "The bottles are very breakable."

"No kidding," Genis muttered.

"If that is everything the total is 1000 gald."

"_1000 gald?_" Lloyd exclaimed. "That's ridiculous!"

"It's quite fine," said Kratos calmly. He handed the woman the money. "Pay him no mind." He took the potion from the woman and we exited the shop. We headed past all of the shops and back over the bridge to the inn where the people from earlier (who I'd just now noticed were all dressed in battle gear) waited rather impatiently for us.

Lloyd took the potion from Kratos and grudgingly handed it over to the loud-mouthed man. "…here."

The man inspected it to make sure it was alright and then handed it to the woman who had been carrying it before. "All right then. Looks like you're good little boys and girls after all. Just make sure you learn your lesson and don't mess with us again."

"Yes, I'll be careful," said Colette, who remained oblivious to the bewildered and annoyed stares Lloyd was giving her.

"Come on, we're leaving!" the calm woman announced.

The angry woman turned around. "I have to say, that Governor-General Dorr sure was trusting. It's hard to believe he just gave us his family treasure like that."

Oh great, so they'd been mooching off of other people too.

"So what are we going to do with that anyway?" the other man, who hadn't spoken yet, asked meekly.

"You're an idiot," the first man snapped. "We don't have any use for that thing. We're just going to sell it to that geezer on Hakonesia Peak who collects old junk."

"Now let's go!" the first woman urged, and the group went on their way.

"Hehe, sorry for getting us in trouble," Colette giggled.

"…those guys kinda piss me off," said Lloyd.

"You're not the only one," I said irritably.

"Oh yeah!" Colette suddenly exclaimed and whirled to face me. "Aurelia, what are you going to do?"

"What am I going to…?" I trailed off when I realized what she meant. Even I'd forgotten- I needed to decide whether I was staying or leaving. "Oh. Right."

"What's going on?" asked Raine. Oh yeah, that's right. Raine hadn't been a part of my little interrogation squad. She probably had no clue what was going on. Lloyd briefly filled her in on what had happened.

"Ahh, I see. Well Aurelia, we'd appreciate your continued help, but we'll respect your decision either way."

"Like hell we will!" Lloyd shouted. "Aurelia, you _better _stay!"

I gave a small laugh at that. _Look at all of them, _my inner voice told me. _How could you leave even if you wanted to?_

I had to admit, this voice was right. Besides, I still had Kratos to figure out. How was I going to find out what his secret was if I was wandering aimlessly around Sylvarant?

That settled it. I'd been stupid to think leaving was a good idea, especially now that all of my reasons for joining were coming back to me.

"Alright," I said in defeat. "I can't say no to Lloyd the Terrifying. I'll stay."

"Oh, yay!" Colette cheered, hugging me tightly.

"Not to break up the moment, but we need to be going," Kratos said bluntly.

"I must agree," said Raine. "Although we're happy you'll be staying with us."

I squirmed out of Colette's embrace. "Thanks. Let's go clue-hunting, shall we?"

We headed back over the bridge that headed towards the shops, deeper into the city. Clue-hunting was harder than I thought it would be, because even if we did ask where something like a seal might be, what kind of average person would know something like that?

Eventually we reached a large plaza that was bustling with life. I noticed this is where the Palmacosta Academy was located, as well as the Church of Martel Cathedral and a big office-like building, probably where the town's leader resided.

"Governor-General Dorr!"

The voice had come from a little boy, and he spoke to a tall, impressive-looking man with blond hair. A little girl with curly blond pigtails and a purple dress stood beside him. It could have been his daughter.

The boy continued to speak. "Dad was taken away to the ranch and hasn't come back. Even though I've been a good boy!"

The man, who I know knew to be Dorr, looked sadly down at the boy. "Hang on just a little longer. I promised, remember? I'll save everyone who's been taken away to the ranch."

"But…I'm lonely…" The boy was on the verge of tears.

"Don't worry," the little girl said. "Father is a friend of everyone in this city. My mother died of an illness, but your father should still be alive. I'm sure he'll come back."

"…really?" he sniffed.

"Yes," said Dorr. "They were all taken away because they fought back against Desians. I swear I'll rescue them."

"Okay, I'll wait for Dad to come back."

"Good boy," Dorr said with a smile. He looked down at his daughter. "Let's go Kilia."

"Yes father." The two walked away from the boy in the direction of the office building.

That whole exchange had left a heavy feeling in my gut. Before reaching Palmacosta, I'd only heard about the Desians' cruelty, but it seemed like reaching this city had thrust us into the chaos with no preparation at all. I should've been glad that I was seeing the truth, I suppose, but I could only feel horror. Guilt.

"Who was that?" Lloyd asked, assumedly talking about Dorr.

An old man who had been speaking with a woman nearby turned to Lloyd. "Governor-General Dorr. He's recruiting soldiers and resisting the Desians. He's a wonderful man."

"After losing his wife to an illness, he's raised his daughter Kilia all by himself…" the woman added.

"As long as Governor-General Dorr is here, we won't submit to the Desians. Even if we're carried off to the ranch, Dorr will come and save us. We believe in him."

"The people of this city are all so strong," Colette said in wonder.

Lloyd nodded is head in agreement. "That Dorr person must be a great man."

"They sure are brave," said Genis.

"Yeah," said Lloyd. "I mean, they're facing up to the Desians. Not a lot of people are brave enough to do that."

"I wish I could show this to the people of Iselia."

"It sounds like that person called Dorr is doing a good job of leading them," Colette chimed in.

"If he's the leader, he may know something about the seal, right?" I suggested.

"Yes," said Raine. "We should speak with him first. Genis-" She cut off because he was no longer paying attention. He stared longingly in the direction of the Palmacosta Academy. He almost looked…sad.

"Well come on, let's go!" said Lloyd, following after Kratos to the office building.

"Genis, you don't look well," Colette noted. "Are you okay?"

"Ah, sorry." He gave the school one long, last look before looking at Raine, Colette and I. "I was just thinking about how I was supposed to go to that school and, well, you know."

"It's too bad," said Raine sympathetically. "You really wanted to study, didn't you?"

"You were supposed to go there, Genis?" I asked in surprise. I'd only told Max that because, it was reasonable enough. Genis was a smart kid. I found it kind of funny that it had turned out being half true, but I was hardly going to laugh. Genis looked really sad about it.

"Yeah, but it's okay…" he said. "Participating in world regeneration isn't exactly something everyone gets to do."

"I'm sorry for getting you mixed up in something like this," Colette said sadly.

"What are you talking about?" asked Genis. This had seemed to snap him out of it a little. "Lloyd and I are just tagging along. You don't have to worry about us."

This seemed to reassure her. "Thanks, Genis."

"Uh, um, don't tell Lloyd about this, okay?" he said quickly. "He's already burdened enough with what happened at the village…I don't want him to feel responsible for me, too."

"Yes, I understand," said Raine.

I nodded. "Don't worry, Genis, we won't tell."

He smiled. "Thanks guys."

"_Hey what's the holdup?"_ Lloyd shouted from across the plaza. "_Hurry it up!"_

We all seemed to sigh at the same time and headed across the plaza to join Lloyd and Kratos, who both waited for us at the door to the office.

"Jeez guy, it's about time," Lloyd said impatiently. "We gotta talk to this Dorr guy!"

We entered the building and I saw that it was, in fact, an office. Dorr sat behind a large, curved desk, with Kilia standing by his side. Another man (who was quite handsome, I might add) stood behind him holding a clipboard. He stood as we entered in a gesture of welcome.

"Greetings, travelers!" he said. "We welcome travelers, as per the teachings of Martel. May the blessing of Martel be upon those who journey. By the way, may I ask where you are from? Are you on a pilgrimage for Martel?" Wow, this guy sure liked to talk about Martel.

"Ah, we come from Iselia," Lloyd replied. "We're on the journey for world regeneration."

I knew it was a mistake the moment it left his mouth. Dorr tensed and exchanged a look with the man standing behind him. Something was wrong.

"'World regeneration…?'" Dorr repeated suspiciously.

"Colette here is the Chosen of Mana," said Genis. He gestured to her. "The Tower of Salvation appeared, right?"

"Are you saying that you are the Chosen?" Dorr asked slowly.

"Ah, um, yes," said Colette nervously. "It seems that way, anyway."

"Governor-General Dorr…" the other man said warningly.

Dorr looked back at him. "Yes, Neil…" He turned to us and we were all surprised to see his face filled with anger. "The Chosen was just here a few moments ago! How dare you defile that name! These despicable criminals must be arrested and turned over to the church at once!"

Things really got chaotic then. A group of armored guards came barreling in, trying to restrain us all. Lloyd was yelling and cursing and fighting back, and through all the commotion, of course Colette managed to trip. But as she did, her sparkling pink wings unfolded from her back and everyone stopped fighting to stare at her.

"Wow!" Kilia exclaimed in delight. "Father, did you see? She has wings! She's like an angel! They're beautiful!"

"W-Wait!" Neil ordered. "Everyone, lower your weapons! This person before us is without a doubt the Chosen of Mana!"

I shook my arm free of the guard's iron grip, and he, along with the others, left the room.

"There is no mistaking the angel wings that are on your back!" Neil continued to Colette. "Please forgive our insolence, Chosen One." He bowed his head in respect.

Colette looked uncomfortable at this. "Ah, um, please, it's okay. Um, um…it's all right, really. Everyone tells me I'm not very Chosen-like at all."

_They should be apologizing though,_ I thought, rolling my eyes. _They almost just arrested the Chosen!_

Dorr seemed to have realized something, though. A slightly panicked expression was working its way across his face. "But this means…the Chosen we gave the Book of Regeneration to was an imposter?

"Wait a minute," said Lloyd confusedly. "You said something about the Chosen coming here already. What is the Book of Regeneration? What's going on?"

"The Book of Regeneration is a record of Spiritua's journey," Neil explained. Spiritua…she was the first Chosen to succeed in Sylvarant if I wasn't mistaken. "It is the only document containing detailed records of the world regeneration, and it is a precious heirloom passed down through the generations of Governor-Generals of Palmacosta."

"That's it!" Genis exclaimed. "With that, we won't have any trouble finding the seals!"

"And you say you handed over this invaluable book to a random person claiming to be 'the Chosen'? Unbelievable." Raine sighed as though she couldn't even begin to comprehend their stupidity.

"Of course!" Lloyd snapped his fingers. "It must be those guys that were giving us trouble earlier!"

"How could you just give them something so valuable without even a smidge of proof it was really them?" I asked, trying not to sound too angry but this guy really was a moron.

"We had received information that the Chosen's group was headed this way," Neil replied. He couldn't meet my eyes as he did so. "So we naturally thought that they were them…"

"Are you stupid or something!" Genis fumed. "Now what are we supposed to do?"

"I am terribly sorry…" said Neil quietly.

"I can't believe this!" Genis continued to rage. "Do you use your eyes at all or are they just there for decoration? You humans are-"

Raine cut him off by slapping him across the back of the head. He cried out in pain.

"Genis, that's enough!" she scolded.

Lloyd turned to Dorr. He was surprisingly calm for the situation. "You don't happen to remember the contents of the whatever-it's-called book, do you?"

"I'm afraid not," Dorr said gravely. "It is, after all, written in the language of the angels, so only members of the church can read it."

"Oh I know!" said Colette brightly. Leave it to her to stay positive at an incredibly annoying time like this. "Let's try asking at the church. Maybe the priests know something."

"That's a good idea," said Raine. "We'll ask first thing in the morning, it's getting late, now. Any objections?" No one objected, so we decided we'd go to the inn for the night and head to the church in the morning.

"You have my deepest apologies, Chosen One," said Neil. I felt kind of bad for him, despite what had happened. He seemed really embarrassed. Dorr, however, remained silent.

* * *

The next day after we were all rested (everyone being more than glad to sleep in a real bed), we headed back to the church.

When we spoke to the first pastor we saw, who stood near the altar at the front of the chapel, we were met with a warm smile. Or at least, Colette was.

"Oh, Chosen One! Do you remember me? I'm Marche. I trained as a priest at Martel Temple."

"Of course I remember you," she said kindly. "It's so nice to see you again. So you've become a pastor."

"Yes. Ever since the Tower of Salvation appeared, I have eagerly awaited the arrival of the Chosen. The legend of Spiritua will surely be of use to you."

"Spiritua gave her first sermon here, right?" she questioned.

"Yes, that is correct," said Marche. "The legend of the world regeneration from that time was written down in the Book of Regeneration and was given to the royal family. It contains a record of the location of every seal."

Which would be extremely useful, if someone hadn't given it away to imposters.

"Do you keep a record of its contents here by any chance?" Raine asked.

"No, it was not complied by the church. Would you like me to request Governor-General Dorr to show it to you?"

Lloyd groaned.

"That…won't help," said Colette. "It seems he gave the book to a group of imposters pretending to be us."

Marche's eyes widened. "That's terrible! Unfortunately, the Book of Regeneration is the only record of Spiritua's footsteps. I am sorry I could not be of help."

"N-No, it's fine. Thank-you anyway."

A hopeless, dejected air had fallen over the group. Now we were right back where we started, only now we knew that there was a group of people pretending to be the Chosen's group. Who knew what other sorts of trouble they could cause in Colette's name?

As we were heading towards the door, we noticed the girl from the item shop earlier, Chocolat. She stood behind a counter wearing a slightly bored expression, but she perked up slightly when she saw us.

"Oh, you're the ones that came to our item shop earlier, aren't you?" she asked.

"Yeah," said Lloyd, and proceeded to introduce all of us."

"Well it's nice to meet all of you, and I'm sorry about what you saw earlier. I work here as a pilgrim tour guide."

"Ah, don't worry about it," he said. "But, are you going to be okay? Those guys might not hesitate to destroy this entire city…"

"You don't know anything, do you?" she said, rolling her eyes. "This area is under the control of Magnius from the eastern ranch, but just last month they reached the designated death count limit. We're safe until next year."

_Death count limit?_ That was about all I could take. While they were busy talking to Chocolat, I slipped out the door and outside, promptly leaning over a bush and vomiting. I sunk to my knees and stayed there, Chocolat's words painting an image in my head.

All I could imagine was a line of Desians marching through the streets of this town, killing anyone who got in their way or even looked at them funny. Blood stained the streets, children were crying- how was it that I had possibly gone my whole life thinking these people were good? They had a _death count limit_. An actual _limit_ of how many people they were allowed to kill. I found myself insisting that Lord Yggdrasill could never be a part of something like this. There was just no way.

But he was. He _was_ a part of it, he was the _leader_, and I needed to accept it already. A lot of things had been hidden from me, plain and simple. And it was up to me to find out what they were. I needed to find out everything, in fact- what Kratos was hiding, why I was lied to, and why Remiel was leading Colette to believe she was his daughter. Also why I couldn't speak of this fact without having a coughing fit. Hopefully this journey would allow me to find out some answers.

"Aurelia, what happened?" I heard Genis asked. I turned around to find them all standing there.

"We just looked and you'd disappeared!" said Lloyd.

"S-Sorry," I told them. "It was just all of Chocolat's talk of the death count limit and whatnot and, well…"

"It was hard for you to hear," Raine finished. "That's understandable. It's pretty horrible."

I nodded. "Yes. Sorry if I worried you or anything. Um, anyways, what's next?"

"Yes, what should we do?" said Colette. "Shall we just go looking for the seals using Remiel's words as clues?"

"I think we would be better off getting hold of the Book of Regeneration," said Raine.

Genis rolled his eyes. "Raine, you know you're more interested in the book itself than in the location of the seals."

She didn't respond.

"Dammit, those guys really piss me off!" Lloyd said suddenly, although it was pretty easy to tell who he was talking about.

"You mean the imposters, right?" said Genis. "I know, I'm really mad too!"

"Right?" Lloyd exclaimed angrily. "Colette's the one trying to save the world!"

"All they're interested in is getting free things," I agreed.

"Huh?" Colette said cluelessly.

"Doesn't it make you mad, Colette?" Lloyd asked.

"Hmm," she said thoughtfully. "Well, I think if there are lots of Chosens, the odds of the world being saved go up. That would be a good thing!" She smiled brightly.

Lloyd and Genis sighed in unison.

"In any case," I said. "We're going to have to get that book back, right?"

"Yeah, dammit!" said Lloyd. "It looks like we don't have any other choice but to chase after those imposters."

"But how?" Colette wondered.

"Remember what they said? They're planning on selling off the Book of Regeneration."

"Oh right," I recalled. "Some 'geezer' on Hakonesia Peak, right?"

"Off to Hakonesia Peak, then," said Raine decidedly.

"Wow Lloyd, you're amazing!" Colette gushed.

"It's only at times like this that he has a good memory," Genis jabbed.

"Shut up Genis!" he snapped. "We have to get going!"

"Well, then, let's get going," Kratos said rather impatiently. We all prepared ourselves for the journey first- replacing weapons, buying more food and medical supplies- and then started on our way to Hakonesia Peak.

* * *

We'd been walking for quite a while, and it seemed that the sun was about to sink below the horizon. So it seemed like quite the coincidence that just when we were about to stop and set up camp, we came across a caravan parked in the shelter of a group of trees.

"Hey, that thing looks familiar!" Lloyd said to Genis. "We should ask if we can stay there!"

"Lloyd," Raine chastised. "You cannot just-" But he was already running ahead with Genis close behind him.

"Those boys," she muttered, and hurried after them.

The family that had set up here consisted of a man, a woman, and seemingly their two children, a boy and a girl.

"Who are you?" the children both asked when we all approached.

"Oh, my," said the man pleasantly. "We don't get visitors very often. May I help you?"

"We were wondering if we could set up camp here for the night!" said Lloyd, oblivious to Raine's angry stares.

"Oh my," he said again. "Why of course you can! We'd enjoy the company."

"We appreciate it," said Raine. "And I apologize for his boldness."

"Yeah!" said Lloyd. "So anyways, are you on a pilgrimage Mr.…?"

"My name is Nova. We are travelling while studying the animals of the world. I'm a zoologist."

"Really? That's a weird thing to do in these dangerous times."

Raine hit Lloyd on the back of the head.

"Ow!"

"You're bringing it on yourself, Lloyd," I told him matter-of-factly.

"Travelling the world in the pursuit of knowledge…that's wonderful!" Raine said excitedly.

"I think Raine's in love," Genis snickered to me.

Nova laughed. "I just like seeing all sorts of rare animals."

"We even saw a giant glowing bird!" the little girl piped up.

"'Glowing bird'?" Lloyd repeated.

"That may have been Aska, the Summon Spirit of Light," Raine reasoned.

"Sounds like it," I agreed, to which Kratos gave me another one of his annoyingly inquisitive looks.

"Really?" said Nova. "That bird is a Summon Spirit? I see…that would explain why it's a species I've never seen before."

"Say, tell us about the time you saw it!" said Lloyd, clearly itching to hear a good story. Although, knowing him, he was probably going to get _bored_ halfway through it.

"The information might come in handy," Genis agreed. "And besides, I want to hear the story."

"In that case, I think it would be better to ask my children," Nova told us. "I actually didn't get a good look at the bird."

"Okay, I'll try asking them," said Lloyd.

"I want to hear it too!" said Colette with a grin. "It sounds amazing."

"I'll set up camp," Kratos sighed. "It seems you will all be a while." He left to tend to this task.

Lloyd approached the boy, whose name, Nova had told us, was Alduin. "Say, tell us in detail about the time you saw the glowing bird."

"Ah it was on the Ossa Trail. We were camping out near the peak and that glowing bird appeared."

"Ossa Trail…hmm…" Lloyd thought back to when we ourselves had crossed over that path on our way to Izoold.

"Also," Alduin continued, "the wind was strong that day. A tree nearby played a mysterious melody as its nuts shook in the wind. It was like a beautiful song." He looked as though he was reminiscing about that day.

"'Tree nuts playing a mysterious melody'?" Lloyd repeated. He raised an eyebrow and gave the kid a weird look. "What the heck is that?"

"Yeah, that sounds kind of, um…odd," I said.

"That's probably the Linkite Tree that is said to grow in high places," Raine explained. Wow, how did she know all of this? "It is said that when the nuts shake in the wind, they make a beautiful sound, like bells."

"Hmm, I didn't know there was a tree like that," said Lloyd. Then a thought occurred to him. "But doesn't that mean that we can meet Aska if we just go to the Ossa Trail?"

"No, the tree isn't there anymore," Alduin said sadly. "Either someone cut it down and took it away, or it was carried away in a landslide or something."

"Yeah, we didn't see any tree like that when we went there before."

"That stump we saw near the peak might have been it," Raine recalled.

"We've travelled all over the world, but we've yet to see that tree again," Alduin finished.

Raine nodded. "That tree is thought to be extinct from over-harvesting and natural disasters. I don't think it will be easy to find."

"Let's talk to May next," said Colette. She referred to the little girl.

Lloyd, of course, was handling the questions. He seemed really eager to find out more about Aska, although I didn't really understand why. Sure, it seemed like an amazing site to see, but I didn't get why he was so fascinated with it.

"I'm going to go see if Kratos needs help," I told them, and walked over to wear Kratos had unpacked our things and was beginning supper. Although technically nothing had really happened between us, I still found there was this awkward tension between us, as if one of us knew the secret of the other and was just waiting for the other to let it slip.

"Hi," was all I said before settling down in the grass.

He nodded his head once in response, and continued chopping vegetables.

I tapped on my knees, straightened out my skirt, fixed my hair- basically fidgeted in everyway possible. There was that pressure-like feeling in the back of my throat that appears when you desperately want to say something, but either know that you shouldn't or are too nervous to. This was a combination of the two. If there was ever a time to confront Kratos, it would be now when the others were all distracted by Aska.

I waited several minutes before finally beginning with, "Kratos-"

"Don't bother," he said shortly.

I blinked at him. "I-I'm sorry?"

He glanced up briefly at me. "I don't need any help chopping vegetables, if that's what you're asking. Thank-you anyway."

I was unsure of what to say to this. "I…I wasn't going to…I mean…"

"Then what is it?" He met my eyes fully this time, and I knew there was no way I'd be able to say anything. I was reminded of that first night in Triet, when he'd caught me crying and had said all of those cryptic things. Well, not that pretty much everything he ever said wasn't cryptic anyway, but still

"Never mind," I said, and, to my surprise, I sounded annoyed more than anything. "Are you sure you don't want help?"

"Yes."

I started fidgeting again; only this time it was because I wanted to tell him off.

A little while later, Raine, Lloyd, Genis and Colette came back over.

"How did it go?" I asked as I began handing them their dinners.

"I'll sum up the situation in which they encountered the glowing bird," said Raine. She sat down and set her dinner on her lap, explaining rather than eating. "First, they encountered it on the Ossa Trail. This indicates that the glowing bird only appears in high places. Next, a Linkite Tree made a beautiful sound, as if the nuts were producing a melody. Finally, on that day there was a strong wind, and the sound of the Linkite Nuts was carried a long distance by the wind." She let out a breath. "I think that about sums it up."

"They said that, after travelling the world, they went back to the Ossa Trail again," said Genis, "but the Linkite Tree was already gone."

"And," Lloyd added, "they've yet to find another Linkite Tree on any of their journeys. At least, there weren't any they could get to by foot. Also, May gave us one of the nuts." He held it out and shook it. It made a light, tinkling noise like that of a small, silver bell.

"Which means in order to meet Aska, we need to search for a Linkite Tree in a place you can't get to on foot," Raine concluded.

"That sounds impossible," Lloyd said dejectedly.

"Yes…well, we don't need to accomplish it immediately. After all, releasing the seals comes first. And even if we did find a Linkite Tree, it wouldn't do us any good if it was dead."

"The sound has to be carried on the wind and playing a melody sounds difficult too," said Genis.

Lloyd thought for a moment, and then the light bulb came on and he turned to Raine. "Hey, couldn't you do something about a dead tree with your healing arts?"

"My power alone wouldn't be enough," she said in a way that suggested she'd already thought of this. "In order to heal something that's already dead, I'd need something that could strengthen my skills…something that could call forth the Linkite Tree's will to live. Something like an Exsphere or even just a small fragment of one…also, if it's dead, that means the ground there is weak. We'd need to replenish it and make it nourishing again."

Lloyd thought over everything that would need to be done. "Dad's the only one I can think of who might have a spare Exsphere…"

"Although," said Genis, "if there are any other dwarves around, they might have one, too."

"Even if we _did_ find a spare Exsphere," I said impatiently, "we'd still have to do all those other things too, as well as actually _find_ this tree."

"There's nothing we can do," Raine sighed. "Let's give up on Aska."

"Fascinating…"

"Whoa!" Lloyd jumped at the sound of Nova's voice. Apparently he'd stood there the whole time without us noticing, listening to Raine's explanation.

"I see now…" Nova went on. "That's impressive the way you've found the rules of how it works."

Lloyd shook his head tiredly. "But all we've learned is that meeting Aska is hard."

"Well, I suppose so…" Nova shrugged. "I've gone ahead and made note of the information you've assembled. Feel free to talk to me anytime you want to hear it."

"Thanks, we will!" said Colette with a smile.

"Now c'mon guys, eat your dinner!" I urged once Nova had left. "Kratos worked really hard on it _all by himself_." I sent a sideways glance at him and saw he held his hand to his face, shaking his head. I smiled smugly. If he wasn't going to talk about anything that was going on between us, I was just going to have to settle for getting my satisfaction this way.

* * *

**I was going to end it just as they were leaving Palmacosta, but it was too short at that point so I decided I'd add in the whole Aska bit. Feel free to review if you wanna. There's some imaginary cupcakes in it for you :)**


	8. One Thing After Another

**Wow this is way longer than usual. Couldn't really decide where to end it**

**Sorry if the ending seems kinda rushed. If so, that would be because...well, it kinda _was _rushed.**

**First day back to school tomorrow. *shudders* However, my To Kill A Mockingbird work is ALL done as of today, so I'll hopefully have more time to work on this bad boy.**

**Enjoy, my darlings**!

* * *

"Thanks so much again, for letting us stay the night here," said Colette the next morning. We had just finished preparing to move on from the caravan on our way to Hakonesia Peak.

"Not at all," said Nova. "Please feel free to stop by again should you want to hear about Aska or have anything new to share."

"We will, thanks!" She turned around to face the rest of the group. "Now then, shall we be off?"

"It will take probably two days to reach Hakonesia Peak," said Raine. She appeared to be working out the distance in her head. "So, if we stop to rest at the House of Salvation that is along the way for the night, we should reach the peak tomorrow at twilight."

"Well what are we waiting for?" said Lloyd. "Let's get moving!"

"Your enthusiasm is truly motivating," Genis said sarcastically.

With that, we started on our way. There weren't too many monsters on the road, thankfully, but this also meant that it was going to be a pretty uneventful trip. Lloyd was complaining already that he was bored and wanted something exciting to happen already.

"Well then, Lloyd," said Raine. "If you're so bored, then why don't you take this opportunity to catch up on your studying? I could quiz you on the history of Palmacosta, if you'd like."

His face paled in horror at the thought. "Uh, n-no thanks. You know what? I'm actually not that bored anymore!" He laughed nervously and moved away from Raine, closer to Colette and I.

"You know, I'm really excited to release the next seal!" Colette said happily.

"Oh yeah?" I tilted my head curiously. "Why is that?"

"I don't know, really. It's just all so exciting- the trial, being one step closer to saving the world, and-"

"Seeing…Remiel?" I supplied quietly.

She faltered for half a second before resuming her smile. "Yeah! Uh-huh!"

"So, he's your father, right?" I questioned. "That's so amazing, that your father is an angel." I hadn't really gotten a chance to see what Colette thought about that. Everyone seemed to believe it, even though I knew that it couldn't be true. However, I'd rather _not_ choke to death trying to inform her of this fact.

"Yes…he's my father, all right." She was still smiling, but I could see some traces of doubt in her eyes. Was it possible that she didn't fully believe it either? "He believes in me, so I need to release all of the seals and make him proud!"

I stared at her, suddenly really sad for some reason.

The rest of the day passed by uneventfully…until we reached the House of Salvation, that is.

"Let's go inside and pray at the altar!" Colette suggested excitedly

No one had much of a chance to answer before she hurried inside. We followed after here.  
Inside was a big, round, room with a little alcove at the front holding a statue of Spiritua, so it would seem. But it was the person already praying at the altar that gave us all a shock.

It was the assassin from the Ossa Trail.

"…lla will suffer," she was in the middle of saying. "Please, help me save everyone."

My eyes widened. No one else might have caught this, but I was almost certain that she'd been talking about Tethe'alla. Did that mean…this woman was from Tethe'alla? But that wasn't even possible, was it? How would she have even gotten here, to Sylvarant?

"Hey, what are you praying for?" Lloyd suddenly called out.

My eyes widened even more. "_Lloyd!"_ I hissed. "That's the assassin from Ossa Trail, or don't you remember? She'll try to kill us!"

"We agreed to make friends with her!" Colette chirped.

I sighed in a way that Kratos might. This was _not_ going to end up well.

"So I can save everyone," the assassin replied. She then seemed to fully realize what had just happened and whirled around in alarm to find us all standing there. She gave a surprised kind of sound, which was all she seemed to be able to manage.

"Well there's a nice thought," Lloyd said pleasantly. I couldn't tell if he was being sarcastic or not.

"Sh-shut up!" she said brilliantly.

Lloyd pretended she hadn't said anything. "My name's Lloyd, what's yours?"

The assassin blinked in response. "What…?" Clearly she hadn't expected this from someone she had tried to kill.

"Lloyd?" Genis sounded just as confused as the assassin.

"Ah, I'm Colette!" Colette said, happily joining Lloyd. "I'm still inexperienced as a Chosen, but I promise I'll do my best and regenerate the world."

"I never asked you your names!" she snapped.

Colette looked rather dejected. "Oh, you're right. I'm sorry."

"I-I'm trying to kill you!" the assassin said, frustrated.

"I know," said Colette casually. "But if we just talk, I'm sure we can come to an understanding."

"Are you _listening _to me?" the assassin spluttered. I couldn't really blame her. When you're trying to kill someone and they're trying to make friends with you, it probably wouldn't make it very easy…especially if it was Colet

"I'm listening," said Colette. "But um…Ms Assassin…"

"It's Sheena! Sheena Fujibayashi!" She narrowed her eyes like she was determined to argue Colette on anything she said.

"Sheena. You were praying. Praying makes one's heart grow. I pray, too. So I'm sure we can understand each other." Poor, naïve Colette. I knew she was trying hard to make this woman, Sheena, understand, and to understand her in return. However, I looked at her eyes and saw something in them, a kind of sadness that said she couldn't be Colette's friend even if she wanted to. But just like that, the sadness was gone. Perhaps I'd imagined it.

"I-I was praying that I'd be able to kill you…" she said awkwardly. "Forget it! I lost my concentration. You better be ready next time!" She produced another one of those silver spheres and threw it down. It exploded into smoke and, like last time, she was no where to be seen when it cleared.

"She left…" Colette looked more than a little disappointed.

"Don't look so sad Colette," said Genis. "You _do_ remember she's trying to kill us, right?"

"I-I know, but…I'd just like to know why she's doing it. I know she must have a reason, so that's why I can't really be mad at her about it."

Kratos shook his head. "While that is a nice thought, the fact still remains that she is our enemy, and you need to be more careful in the future."

"I'd hate to say it, but I agree with Kratos," I admitted. "She could have easily killed you just now, if she wanted to."

"But she didn't!" Colette protested. "Doesn't that say something?"

"I'd say it means we caught her off guard," Raine said firmly. "Now, Colette, try not to think about it. We should have our dinner and get to sleep. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow.

Colette nodded rather sadly, but headed outside with us all the same. It was her turn to cook, and she made some kind of fruit salad as she usually did. It was delicious, but past experience told me I was going to be hungry again in an hour or two.

We finished up our meal and then requested some rooms from one of the priests there. The arrangements were the usual- Raine and Genis, Kratos and Lloyd, and Colette and I. Colette didn't speak much as we were falling asleep, and I suspected it was because she was still thinking about the assassin, Sheena. I couldn't think of anything to say to cheer her up, so we both fell asleep in silence.

* * *

Raine had been pretty accurate about our arrival time- when we got to Hakonesia Peak the next day, the sun was beginning to set, washing the pretty mountain path in a golden glow. We were at the base of the path, which continued up into the mountains, but as far as I knew it more cut through them then went over them. A small house sat nearby, various junky items scattered in the grass around it.

Wasn't this man supposed to be some kind of junk collector? Judging by the appearance of the house, I'd say we had the right place.

Two guards keeping watch over the checkpoint noticed us approach, and were apparently thinking we were looking to go through the path.

"You cannot pass through these gates unless you have a road pass," one said.

"Road passes are available for sale in that small shop, from Koton," the other informed us. "You must purchase one if you wish to pass here."

"We'll probably end up passing through here eventually anyway," said Raine. "We should look into buying them when we go inside."

The house was very crammed inside. Junk was piled _everywhere_- on the floor, on tables. There was barely even any standing room, and the towering piles of junk threatened to topple over and bury us alive at any moment.

An older man stood inside, with a red nose and glasses. He was hunched over and looked up at us with scrutiny as we entered. I noticed uncomfortably that his eyes passed over Raine, Colette and I much more slowly. I squirmed and folded my arms across my chest.

"If you're looking for road passes, it's 100,000,000 gald per person," he announced.

"What?" Lloyd exclaimed, outraged. "What kind of price is that? That's robbery!"

"Silence, boy!" the man, Koton, said angrily. "I'll have you know, I hate men!"

"This is ridiculous," I muttered. My eyes scanned the mess for something, _anything_ that might look like the Book of Regeneration. I just wanted to get out of here as quickly as possible.

Raine looked almost annoyed as well. "That means even those on a pilgrimage with the Church of Martel can't make it past here."

Koton trained his eyes on Raine, and they seemed to glaze over. "Oh, my, you're quite the beauty! If you're on a pilgrimage, you should join in the Asgard ruin tour at the Palmacosta travel agency!"

"Hey!" Genis said accusingly. "You're in cahoots with the travel agency!"

"Oh, shut up!" he snapped. "If you don't have any money then get out of here!"

"Hmm?" said Colette. She appeared to be looking at something sitting on a table. "That's a very old scripture…"

Koton looked over at her. "Oh, my beautiful maiden! You have a good eye! This here is something that I purchased from the Chosen of Mana. It's a very rare scripture record that contains the Legend of Spiritua!"

Everyone whirled around in alarm to face Koton. He didn't notice, he just continued to gloat about his findings.

"I've been wanting to get my hands on this for ages! I'd just about given up on Dorr ever letting go of it. It was very fortunate that the Chosen herself was willing to part with it."

"That's it!" Genis exclaimed excitedly. "That _has_ to be the Book of Regeneration!"

"Let us have it!" Lloyd demanded, then caught himself. Technically, the book _was_ Koton's property now, and we couldn't say that Colette was the Chosen or we'd probably end up almost arrested again. "Er, at least just let us look at it for a bit."

"You've got to be kidding!" Koton scoffed. "Why would I show it to you people?"

Genis had had just about enough. "Oh come on! Colette is the Cho-"

He cut off as Raine slapped him across the back of the head. "Stop," she whispered. "We'll be the ones treated as imposters."

"The Cho…?" Koton repeated, confused.

"The Chosen of Mana's devout follower," Raine supplied smoothly. "She wishes to view articles that the Chosen has possessed. Colette is a faithful believer and is versed in the language of the angels."

"Ah, yes, that's right," Colette chimed in awkwardly. "I've studied it since I was a child."

"It would really mean the _world_ to her," I added, batting my eyelashes at him.

"Well, if it's that important to you, the two maidens and the beauty can have a look at it," he decided. "More than anything, I want the Spiritua Statue that is displayed in the House of Salvation. If you bring me that, I consider showing you the book."

"You're so stingy!" Genis said with extreme annoyance. "Like it costs you anything to just let us look at it."

"Shaddup!" Koton glared at the young boy, and I could tell he was fed up with Genis' attitude. "Get the heck out of here if you don't have money and don't have the statue!"

Raine had to practically _drag_ Genis out of the house so he wouldn't rip the old man's head off. When we got outside, we didn't have much time to complain because we noticed there were a large number of people milling about, seemingly from Palmacosta. Everyone looked scared or worried or both.

"Hmm? What's wrong?" Lloyd asked a handful of them.

One woman looked at him in surprise. "Oh, you don't know?"

"You all would be better off waiting here for a while," a man told us. "No matter what, you should stay away from Palmacosta."

"Did something happen in Palmacosta?" Lloyd demanded.

"It seems the Desians are headed for Palmacosta!" another woman cried.

_Oh no…ohhhh no._

"What?"

"Plus," the man went on, "they say the leader of the nearby human ranch, Magnius, is with them."

Magnius…my stomach churned. This did _not_ bode well for Palmacosta. I had never personally spoken with Magnius, but he was one of the Five Grand Cardinals and even with my ignorance of true Desian nature, I could only guess that the Grand Cardinals were even more ruthless and cruel than regular Desians. All you needed was common sense to know that Palmacosta was in some sort of danger.

Lloyd took in the name. "Magnius…"

"I'm going to wait here until things cool down," the man continued. "You should hold off going anywhere for a while, too." He, along with the two women, walked away.

"We can't just stay here!" Genis exclaimed once they'd left. "We have to go help Palmacosta!"

"While I agree," said Raine, "it's dangerous to travel at night, which will soon fall. We'll set up camp here for the night and then start back to Palmacosta tomorrow."

"But it will take almost three days!" Colette protested. "We might be too late…"

"The ranch isn't _that _close to Palmacosta, right?" I spoke up. They all turned to me. "It could take them some time to reach Palmacosta as well. The path from here to there is pretty straightforward, while I'm guessing the human ranch is kind of out of the way. We could even beat them." Not that I wanted to go anywhere _near_ that city while it was infested with Desians, but I knew that we needed to help.

"Aurelia may very well be correct," said Kratos. "We won't be of any help if we arrive there exhausted. We'll leave first thing tomorrow."

"Dammit…" Lloyd muttered, but proceeded to help set up camp.

The next three days seemed to be torturously long. With every step we took, Lloyd would complain about how it was taking too long and we weren't going to make it. However, a small, selfish part of me was glad that it was taking so long. Even though I'd never met Magnius face-to-face, he could still easily recognize who I was.

But I was thankfully distracted by Lloyd's rambling about Koton.

"What's that avaricious old geezer's problem?" he raged.

"Oh, my!" Raine gasped, looking extremely pleased.

"Wh-what is it Professor…?" asked Lloyd nervously.

"I can't believe you know the word avaricious!" she beamed. I must admit, I was a bit surprised as well.

"Professor…" He looked a bit embarrassed.

She went on like he hadn't spoken. "And you used it properly, too! That's fantastic!"

"Y-you don't have to praise me that much," he told her, but I could see that he was starting to enjoy praise from the woman who mostly only ever criticized him.

"But it's a miracle!" she exclaimed.

He laughed modestly. "Hehehe. You're making me blush."

"Lloyd, she's making fun of you," Genis said flatly. I burst out laughing.

"Shut up!" Lloyd snapped, punching Genis in the arm.

"Owww," Genis groaned, but the effect was diminished slightly by his laughing. Lloyd remained silent for the rest of the day.

When we reached the House of Salvation, we'd almost forgotten about the Spiritua Statue amidst the Desian news, despite Lloyd's rant. Thankfully, Colette brought it up and we found the Grand Priest of the house. He looked shocked as we made our request.

"You say you…want the Spiritua Statue?"

"I know it's a brazen request," said Lloyd, while Raine murmured something about being amazed Lloyd knew the word "brazen". "But it's for world regeneration."

Colette clasped her hands together. "Please father.

The Grand Priest nodded deeply. "If the Chosen asks, we will of course not hesitate to lend our aid." He turned to a nearby priest. "Bring the statue here."

The priest paled, his eyes growing wide. "M-My most humble apologies!" he blurted.

"What's wrong…?" I asked nervously.

He glanced at the alcove containing the Spiritua Statue, where just a couple days ago the assassin had been praying. "This Spiritua Statue is actually a fake I had placed here."

"What?" the Grand Priest said in alarm. "What are you talking about?"

The priest didn't look any of us in the eyes as he said, "I lost the real Spiritua Statue during the pilgrimage a year ago."

Lloyd gaped at him. "The pilgrimage is the Church of Martel's spiritual training journey, right? Why would you take the statue along with you?"

"The halo on the head of the Spiritua Statue is made of diamond," the Grand Priest explained. He was surprisingly calm for the situation. "We always take it with us when we go out on pilgrimages in order to protect it from thieves."

The priest nodded meekly. "On the trip last year, I followed the custom as usual and brought the Spiritua Statue with me to Thoda Island. But there, I accidently dropped it into the geyser."

"Why did you have to take it to a place like that?" Lloyd blurted angrily.

"I am terribly sorry. I was so moved upon seeing the geyser for the first time…By the time I realized it, the statue had fallen onto the rocks on the other side of the geyser. Desperate, I paid a visit to a dwarf who lives in Iselia and had him make something just like it."

"Oh, that'd be Dirk," Genis realized. I assumed this "Dirk" was Lloyd's father.

Raine leaned forward to inspect the false statue. "It's very good work. Just what I'd expect from Dirk."

Lloyd shook his head in disbelief.

"Well then, what shall we do now?" asked Kratos. "Do you think the fake will fool that old man?"

There was a long pause as we all tried to imagine what would happen if we tried to pass off this statue as the real thing. I shuddered at the image.

"That doesn't seem likely," Raine said finally. "It's well-built, but it's still a fake, as is the diamond."

"Um…um…how about we go get the real one?" Colette suggested shyly.

Raine glanced at her in surprise, and then a sort of horror passed over her face. "Y-You want to go all the way to Thoda Island? And on top of that, the rocky area is on the other side of a geyser, am I correct?"

"Y-Yes," the priest responded.

"The problem is the geyser," said Lloyd, his forehead crinkled in thought. "Even I'll pass on getting hit with boiling water."

Raine's horror was momentarily forgotten. "Oh my, Lloyd. You remembered that a geyser erupts with boiling water. I'm so proud!"

"Lloyd, you're amazing!" Colette beamed.

"Of course," he said dismissively. "Everyone knows that." I could only assume he referred to his knowledge of geysers and not the fact that he was "amazing".

"I bet you just guessed…" Genis snickered.

"S-Shut up!" Lloyd said hastily. Genis and I burst out laughing.

Kratos, of course, looked unimpressed with the whole exchange.

"If only we could stop the geyser," Colette sighed.

"I've heard that the eruption cycle of the Thoda Island geyser is quite short," said Kratos.

"I wonder if we can seal it with something." Raine tapped her chin in thought.

Lloyd suddenly snapped his fingers, an idea fresh in his mind. "That's it! We'll just have Genis seal it with magic!"

"'Magic'?" Genis repeated skeptically. "How?"

"Like cover it with ice or something."

"Could Genis really stop a _geyser_ with magic?" I asked doubtfully.

Genis shrugged. "I'll give it a try! You better be grateful."

"Dwarven Vow #1: 'Let's all work together for a peaceful world'," Lloyd quoted. "We're counting on you, Mr. Genius Magician."

"Of course, this will all have to wait until after we reach Palmacosta," I stated. "They still need our help."

"Exactly," Colette agreed. "We'll worry about this after." With that, we all headed to bed and rested for the remaining journey tomorrow.

* * *

The next day was another long one, and we were all subject to Lloyd's ranting once again. It was annoying, but at least it took our minds off of how long it was taking to get to Palmacosta…well, that is whenever he _wasn't_ complaining about how long it was taking to get to Palmacosta.

When night was approaching, we found that Nova's caravan had disappeared. They'd probably already moved on. So, we camped out on the ground instead. I actually tried my hand at cooking for once, and it didn't turn out half-bad. I thought since I actually didn't mind Raine's cooking, that might make mine just as bad in the eyes of the others, but it wasn't too bad (I made pasta, of course, but _I _simply stuck to the traditional sauce, much to everyone's relief).

We packed up camp and headed out as soon as everyone was awake. We were all moving much more quickly this time around, probably because the urgency of reaching Palmacosta in time to help was beginning to press down on us. Because of how much time we were making, it was only about late afternoon when we finally reached the city.

"They're holding an execution in the main plaza," a man told us quietly when we entered the city. "The city is crawling with Desians. You'd probably be wise to leave."

Lloyd completely ignored the man and headed in the direction of the plaza. We all followed hastily after him. Although it would make sense for me to feel uneasy about an execution held by Desians, there was something in my gut saying that we _definitely _weren't going to like what we were about to see.

And I was right. When we reached the plaza, we found a hanging platform set up, and the rope was secured tightly around Cacao's neck, the woman from the item shop.

"No…" I whispered.

"Out of the way!" one of the Desians present ordered. "Lord Magnius approaches!"

A tall, powerhouse of a man shoved his way through the crowd. He had bright red hair pulled back into a mass of dreadlocks, with his half-elf ears pointing proudly out from the side of his head. His face was covered in scars, and he appeared to be one of those people who always wore a permanent scowl. A huge battle axe was strapped to his back, and I couldn't help but tremble in fear as I imagined how that might feel when it was slicing through your stomach.

"It's Magnius from the eastern ranch…" said a man in the crowd, locked in a fear-filled daze.

Magnius whipped his head around and glowered at the man. "That's LORD Magnius, vermin!" Without even a second thought, he grabbed the man by the throat and snapped his neck with ease, dropping the dead man to the ground. He continued on his way to the hanging platform like nothing had even happened.

A choked gasp escaped my throat and my hand flew to my mouth to hide it. Nothing…_nothing_ could have prepared me for this.

The Desian who had first spoken continued, "This woman defied the wishes of the great Lord Magnius and refused to provide us with supplies." It was then that I realized that the two Desians standing on either side of Cacao were the two from the item shop when we had first arrived here.

"Therefore," said the other, "while the designated death count has been exceeded, we have been granted orders to carry out this woman's execution!"

"Dammit!" Lloyd exclaimed furiously. "Why isn't the city militia doing anything to stop this?"

"Most of them are out on training exercises right now," a nearby man replied gravely.

"The Desians must have waited for this opportunity!" Genis sent a hate-filled glare towards them. "Slimy jerks!"

I couldn't say anything at all. I was still staring in horror at the body on the ground. That is, until, Chocolat's voice rang through the crowd.

"_Mom!"_ She pushed through the crowd, running towards the hanging platform. A Desian soldier stepped in her way.

"Stop right there, woman!"

"If you interfere," the second Desian from the shop warned, "we'll make you suffer in ways that will leave you begging for death!"

She glared up at him. "Do you think Governor-General Dorr will let you get away with this?"

"'Dorr'?" Magnius repeated. He let out a booming laugh. "Don't get your hopes up, woman!" He moved towards Cacao threateningly.

"_No!"_

Just then, a stone came flying out of nowhere and struck Magnius right in the forehead. A young child stood apart from the crowd with a determined look on his face.

Magnius gazed at the boy with loathing. "You…disgusting little vermin!" He jumped down from the hanging platform and started towards him, intent to kill.

That was when Lloyd decided he'd had enough. "Stop right there!" he cried. "Demon Fang!" The blades of light shot across the ground and hit Magnius, who was distracted enough with the sudden pain that the boy ran away.

Raine ran forward and grabbed Lloyd roughly by the arm. "Lloyd, stop! Do you want this city to turn into the next Iselia?"

"It's not the same!" he shouted at her. "This city doesn't have a non-aggression treaty with the Desians! How can we go on a quest to regenerate the world if we can't even save the people standing right in front of us?"

"Lloyd's right!" said Colette determinedly. "I won't just stand here and let this happen!"

That little kid…Magnius would have killed that little kid had Lloyd not stopped him. That settled it. I pulled my spear from my belt and released it into its full form, narrowing my eyes. That was all I had to do for Colette and Lloyd to know that I was with them %100.

"...you!" a Desian exclaimed, pointing at Lloyd. "You're wanted criminal #0074…Lloyd Irving!"

Magnius glanced at Lloyd in surprise. "Well, now! So you're that boy with the Exsphere!" He let out a victorious laugh. "This is perfect! After I take that Exsphere from you, they'll make me the leader of the Five Grand Cardinals! Get them!"

Spell circles appeared beneath the guards' feet, and just as the spell was about to hit us (it looked like Fire Ball to me), Genis cried out "_Force Field!"_ and a shimmery, protective shell spread over us, deflecting the attack.

"Amateurs…" the young half-elf muttered, shaking his head.

"Dammit! You worthless idiots!" Magnius raged in frustration. "Enough of this! I'll take care of this woman first!" His motioned towards the guard standing near Cacao, who moved towards the switch that would drop Cacao and end her life.

"No!" Colette cried. She immediately swung one of her chakrams. It sailed through the air and sliced the through the rope around Cacao's neck, just as the guard hit the switch. Cacao fell to the ground, unharmed.

"What the-?" Magnius looked dumbfounded as he craned his neck around to see where the chakram had gone.

Without warning, Kratos approached Magnius and plunged his sword into his stomach. Magnius let out a great cry of pain and stared up at Kratos in confusion.

Kratos' expression and voice were void of emotion as he said, "Let us respect the wishes of the Chosen." He sheathed his sword and crossed his arms.

A surprised murmur spread through the crowd.

"The Chosen…?"

"She is the Chosen?"

"The Chosen herself has come to save us?"

Raine turned back to Lloyd, her expression dark. "Do you realize what you're doing? If you defy the Desians, this city may be attacked just like Iselia."

"The Desians will do whatever they want, regardless of our involvement," I said quietly, not bothering to look at her as I spoke. I eyed the Desian guards cautiously, spear at the ready.

"That's right!" Lloyd agreed. "And I know full well what I'm doing! I won't repeat the same mistake again. I'll destroy them all, the entire ranch!"

I looked at him in alarm. I had never seen Lloyd so angry before. The entire ranch…? What was he thinking…?

Raine shared my sentiments. "Lloyd, that's insanity."

"They're only after me and Colette anyway," he went on, a tad more reasonably. Just a tad. "And besides, we have the Chosen on our side! The savior who will regenerate the world! Right, Colette?"

Colette stepped forward proudly. "Yup! I'm going to fight for everyone's sake."

"Oh! Lady Colette! The great Chosen of Mana!" The crowd was set off again.

Raine sighed. "I give up. You're all hopeless. But I'll help, since I'd be worried about you otherwise."

Lloyd grinned at her. "Professor Sage! Thanks."

"Damned little…" Magnius was muttering, holding his wound. "Enough of this crap! I'm leaving them to you! Get rid of them!" Light appeared all around him, and he slowly faded from sight.

"How dare you lay a hand on Lord Magnius!" one of the Desians (I'd lost track of who was who, there were about four of them) said. "You're all dead!"

I gripped my spear tightly. No. We wouldn't be the ones dying today. Not us.

Before the Desians could even _think_ about attacking, I rushed forward and ran one through on my spear. I tossed him aside, pulling my spear out as I did so, and started on another. The first probably wasn't dead, but at the moment, I didn't quite care.

"_Whirlwind!"_ I cried out as I twirled the spear in front of me and sent out harsh winds. I ended the attack in a stab, as usual. "_Frenzy!"_ This attack basically just consisted of a series of incredibly fast strikes, especially considering the weight of the spear.

By this point, the others had joined the fight too, although it's safe to say that I probably could have held my own even if they didn't. I was filled with this inexplicable rage, and it seemed that the only way I could burn it off was by attacking and attacking and _attacking._

The Desian before me dropped to the ground, and I turned to help Colette fight off the first one I'd attacked. She cast Angel Wings on him while I slashed at him with my spear, and he fell soon enough. Kratos and Lloyd had another one pretty much down, so we joined Genis in attacking the last remaining one. Needless to say, the fight was not a long one.

When the last guard fell, I stood there, breathing heavily. It felt like my mind had just been cleared of some sort of angry, red haze. I retracted my spear and attached it to my belt, refusing to meet the eyes of anyone in the group.

I cleared my throat. "C-Cacao and Chocolat must have gone back to the item shop," I stammered. "We should go see if they're alright, shouldn't we?" I dared a look at them. To my surprise, no one was acknowledging the rage-filled assault I'd just performed.

"Yes, that's a good idea," said Raine. She glanced around nervously at the crowd and muttered something I couldn't hear. Ignoring the stares of the crowd, we all headed to the item shop.

The shop was empty when we entered. "Hello…?" Lloyd called out.

Seeming to recognize Lloyd's voice, Chocolat called from upstairs, "Come on up, Lloyd!"

We headed up the stairs behind the counter to find Cacao laying in a bed and Chocolat sitting in an arm chair she'd pulled up beside it. They both looked up as we approached.

"Thank you," Cacao said shakily.

"Thank you so much for saving my mom!" Chocolat exclaimed. "I don't know what I would have done if they'd murdered my mom as well…"

"'As well'?" Genis repeated questioningly.

Heartbreak was clear in Cacao's face. "My husband volunteered in Governor-General Dorr's army…and was killed in a battle against the Desians. And my mother…was taken to the ranch." She sounded in pain, though I was unsure of whether it was emotional or physical. I couldn't meet her eyes at all. Who _hadn't_ the Desians affected…?

"It was Grandma that originally founded the shop," Chocolat explained. "We have to protect it, not just for ourselves, but also for Grandma's sake, for when she returns." She paused. "I'm sorry, but I'd better get going soon. It's almost time for the next Asgard pilgrimage."

"'Asgard pilgrimage'?" Lloyd repeated.

"I work at the Church of Martel travel agency," she replied. Her face grew sour. "But it's not like I believe in Martel or anything," she muttered as she searched the room for her bag.

"Chocolat! How could you say such a thing?" Cacao said in alarm. She glanced nervously at Colette.

"I know, I know," said Chocolat, rolling her eyes. "I'm grateful for the Chosen. But Martel didn't protect Dad or Grandma. Even this time, it was Martel, but the Chosen and her companions that saved Mom. How can anyone believe in a goddess who sleeps while we suffer?" She cast an angry glance heavenwards.

"I understand," Colette said solemnly. "But, I still think Martel exists."

"You think…?"

Colette nodded resolutely. "I'm sure of it. She exists inside you and me."

Chocolat still looked doubtful, but said, "Well, if the Chosen says so…then I'll at least try to believe."

"Are there really people that want to go on a trip right after what just happened here?" asked Lloyd.

"It's after events like this that both those with and without faith feel the need to go on a journey in search of salvation," Kratos said wisely.

Chocolat shrugged. "That pretty much sums it up. Well then, thank-you all very much!" she said again.

"So where to next?" Genis asked once we'd exited the item shop.

"Thoda Geyser," Colette replied. "We need to get that Spiritua Statue, right?"

"Y-Yes," said Raine, and I couldn't help but notice she looked a little bit nervous."

"Raine?" I said. "What is it?"

"Nothing!" she said hastily. "Let's just get to that island already." I thought back to when we'd had to board Max's ship. Something was telling me our dear professor had a fear of water. Could have been just a hunch.

"Professor, it'll be night in a couple of hours…" Lloyd pointed out.

"R-Right. So we'll head to the inn and leave first thing tomorrow. Let's go." She hurried along towards the direction of the inn.

Genis shook his head. "Her and her water…" he muttered.

Unfortunately, first thing tomorrow didn't happen. With all of the travelling we had been doing the past week, everyone was exhausted, and so almost everyone slept in, except for Kratos.

"Why didn't you wake us?" Lloyd asked him angrily.

He gave a slight shrug. "There's no hurry to head to the geyser. Besides, we might as well be rested for the journey ahead of us."

Although Lloyd remained irritable about this, he didn't say anything else and we commenced preparations for the journey, which included medical supplies, food, etc.

As we approached the exit of the city, we were stopped by a city guard.

"Chosen One! Everyone! I am glad I was able to catch you before you left the city!"

"What is it?" Colette asked worriedly.

"I have a message from Dorr," he replied. "He would like you to temporarily postpone the journey of regeneration."

"What is this about?" Kratos asked. He looked to be highly suspicious of this message. Not that I wasn't. Who did Dorr think he was, just assuming we'd drop such an important journey for some kind of request?

"The Church of Martel pilgrimage commenced early this morning," he explained. "We've just received word that the group was set upon by Desians, and that one of the tour guides has been kidnapped. In light of this, Dorr has decided that this is the time to gather Palmacosta's forces and launch an attack on the human ranch controlled by Magnius."

"How is that related?" Genis asked doubtfully.

"And how does he possibly expect to succeed in attacking the ranch…?" I added under my breath.

"We would like you to rescue the kidnapped tour guide in concert with our attack."

"And you expect us to put the journey of regeneration aside for this tour guide?" Kratos looked extremely skeptical.

"Who is this kidnapped tour guide?" asked Colette.

I saw it coming. I was barely even surprised when the soldier said, "Her name is Chocolat."

"_Chocolat?"_ Lloyd exclaimed.

"Oh no…" Raine said gravely.

"Chosen One, please help us," the soldier pleaded.

Colette turned to Lloyd. "Lloyd, let's help them."

He nodded. "Yeah, okay.

"Somehow I knew you were going to say that…" Raine sighed.

Lloyd whirled around. "Of course! We can't just leave her!"

"Thank-you!" said the soldier. "Neil will inform you of the details once you reach the ranch. Thank you so much for your help." He nodded graciously to Colette and hurried off.

"Guess it's a detour then!" said Lloyd. "C'mon, let's head to that ranch!"

We set off, and I fell behind a bit with Raine and Kratos. Both were deep in thought, and I had sneaking suspicion on what it may be.

"You both look worried," I noted. "Is it about the ranch attack?"

"You have your doubts as well," Kratos guessed.

"Kind of, yes. I mean, it all just seems…off. Why would he wait all this time to stage an attack, and choose when we just _happen_ to be around to do so? Plus, after what happened back in Palmacosta with Magnius, why would they only just attack a tour group, and even then only capture one tour guide, who we just _happen_ to know?" I paused to let my musings sink in. "I don't know, it all just seems a little too…I don't know. _Plus,_ if a city was capable of fighting back, wouldn't the Desians, um, want to get rid of them sooner? I don't know, maybe I'm wrong but…"

Raine nodded in agreement. "No, you're right. There's something not quite right about this whole situation. It doesn't make a lot of sense, and it seems almost like it was set up so we'd have no _choice_ but to go lend our aid."

I let Raine's words sink in until I got her message. "So you're saying it's a trap."

"That seems most likely, yes."

"Then why are we going? If it's a trap then-"

"Regardless of if we are in danger or not," said Kratos. "There are still people that the Chosen wishes to help. We will have to wait and see if our suspicions are correct once we arrive."

"Yes, I suppose…" I trailed off. I hated agreeing with Kratos. I was supposed to…well, _not_ agree with Kratos. There was an unspoken, mutual feeling of dislike between us. It had been decided! Well…not verbally of course because it was an "unspoken" mutual feeling of dislike, but nonetheless-

I really needed to stop ranting in my head.

The journey was much like before. We stopped to rest once night hit, and then travelled all the next day to reach the House of Salvation. The whole time, the feeling of foreboding that Kratos, Raine, and I had acquired grew and grew. We discovered from one of the priests at the House of Salvation that the Ranch was about a half a day's travel from here, if we followed the road east. And so we spent the night at the House of Salvation and continued on the next day. Pretty uneventful stuff.

When we finally reached the human ranch, I stared around and took it in. It sat in the middle of a small forest, and it was really quite dark in the surrounding area due to how closely the trees grew together. The path was spotted with the occasional patch of sunlight, but that was about it.

We could only go so far until we started to see Desians patrolling the ranch's perimeter. It was also then that we ran into Neil.

"Chosen One, please wait," he said solemnly.

"Neil!" Lloyd exclaimed. "We heard Chocolat's been kidnapped!"

He hesitated. "…yes. I wish to speak with you regarding that. Please come this way." He led us into a deeper part of the trees where we wouldn't be seen by any Desians.

"It doesn't sound like you have very good news for us," said Raine, casting a glance towards Kratos and me.

Neil nodded. "I…I would like you all to just go ahead and leave the Palmacosta region."

"But if we do that, what will happen to Chocolat?" Colette asked desperately.

"Yeah!" Genis agreed. "We're supposed to work in conjunction with the Palmacosta army to save Chocolat, right?"

"No, that's…" He trailed off, and this seemed to confirm our suspicions.

"So…" said Kratos. "It _is_ a trap."

Neil glanced up in surprise that Kratos had already suspected this. His surprise grew when Raine and I voiced our concerns.

"This is just peachy," I groaned. "We were right."

"Of the several possibilities, it looks like the worst one came true," said Raine, shaking her head.

"Kratos, Aurelia, Professor!" said Lloyd, looking between us all with confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"It was a mystery that the Desians would simply leave a city with an army alone," said Kratos.

"Yes, exactly," said Raine. "Choosing not to crush the seeds of rebellion must mean they are not a threat. They are left alone simply because they have no real power, or perhaps, because they are in fact beneficial…"

"Add all of this up with how much of a coincidence this whole thing _can't _possibly be, and all signs point towards 'trap'," I finished grimly.

"…it is as you say," Neil admitted. "Dorr is working with the Desians to lead the Chosen into a trap."

The remaining members of the group all ranged from shocked, to outraged, to hopelessly confused.

"Why would he do such a thing!" Genis exclaimed.

"He didn't used to be like this…" said Neil sadly. "He always thought of the well-being of the people of the city. Even five years ago when he lost his wife, Clara, he swore to fight the Desians."

"Then why…" Colette whispered, staring sadly at the ground.

Neil shook his head and responded monotonously, with, "I don't know. At any rate, entering the ranch now will put the Chosen in danger. Leave Chocolat to me, and please, go on your way. Please regenerate the world as soon as possible."

"Indeed," said Kratos, at which Lloyd, Colette, Genis and I all gaped at him. "It would be best to abandon the situation here for world regeneration."

"No!" Colette protested. "I can't just ignore this!"

"We're not going to _abandon_ Chocolat!" I snapped at him.

"They're right," said Genis angrily. "If we leave things the way they are now, Palmacosta may be destroyed just like Iselia. You think so too, don't you Lloyd?"

All he did was nod furiously.

"Yes, what you say is true," said Raine, and I braced myself for the following "but". "But I still wish to side with Kratos. If you don't want to see cities destroyed, you should avoid contact with the Desians."

"No, that's not right," said Colette pleadingly. "Regenerating the world and saving the people in front of us are not exclusive of each other. That's what I think."

Raine sighed. "If that is how you feel, Colette, then we do not have any right to stop you. The only one who has the right to make decisions on this journey is you, the Chosen One. Is that alright with you, Lloyd?"

"That was my intention from the beginning," he replied flatly. "Remember what I said? I'm going to destroy them all."

_Destroy them all…_ I cast my eyes downward. Why did he have to go and say things like that, and make me feel ten times worse?

Neil looked unconvinced. "Still…"

"It's alright," Genis assured him. "Colette is saying this is what she wants."

"Now then, we have two courses we can take," Raine was saying. "The first one is to go on ahead and infiltrate the ranch and rescue Chocolat and the other captives. Now that things have come to this, if we leave the ranch alone, it will surely result in a second Iselia. Our second option is to confirm Dorr's true motives. If he has planned a trap, then he knows the layout of the ranch well."

"What are you going to do to Dorr?" Neil spoke up nervously.

"You'd better not ask that," Genis replied. "Raine's punishment is painful."

As if proving his point, Raine smacked him across the back of the head.

"Thinking logically, dealing with Dorr first is the correct choice," said Kratos.

"I'd have to agree with Kratos," I said through gritted teeth.

Colette turned to Lloyd. "What do you think, Lloyd?"

"Let's return to Palmacosta," he decided. "We'll hear what Dorr has to say first."

"But let's save Chocolat as soon as we can," said Colette. "I'm sure she's scared and lonely all by herself."

"My, even Lloyd makes rational decisions sometimes," Raine remarked.

"So it seems," Kratos agreed. "Well then…let's go."

Lloyd glared at both of them.

Neil looked rather lost. "What should I…?"

"Stay here," Lloyd ordered. "We're going to put the squeeze on your commander. It's better if you don't see it."

"Please watch over the status of the ranch from here," Colette told him. With that, we started back on our way to Palmacosta, and I found myself cursing the fact that agreeing with Kratos was looking to be the correct thing to do in most situations. As I had said, this whole situation was just peachy.

* * *

**Again, sorry if there's any mistakes.**

**Reviews would be much appreciated! It might even inspire a little Aurelia/Kratos action ;D  
...oh fudge, I MEANT FIGHTING. They might fight! Not what I...I mean...oh dear. I will shut up now :|**


	9. All These Traitors

**I had a snow day today so I figured it would be the perfect chance to finish this chapter.**

**Guess what? A week from today, is my birthday. True fact. It's my sixteenth, so I'm pretty excited! Well...mostly just because I have an inkling I'm going to be getting a LOT of cupcakes.**

**Anyway enough about me, please enjoy the chapter! :)**

**PS- I apologize to Haley Tran, who I led to falsely believe this would be out over the weekend that just passed. Complications occured. But it's here now! :D**

* * *

By the time we reached Palmacosta again (all of this walking was starting to wear me out), it was nighttime. For some reason, this seemed oddly fitting for what we were about to do. I still couldn't help but wonder just what Dorr was thinking. He had a daughter to care for, so what was he doing working with the Desians? Hopefully he had a good reason, because if he didn't…I didn't know what Lloyd's plans for him would be.

"You look kinda worried, Aurelia," Colette observed as we approached Dorr's office.

"Kind of," I admitted. I stared down at my boots. "It's just, he has a little girl. What is he thinking, getting himself wrapped up in this whole Desian mess? It can't turn out good."

"Oh right…" She herself stared down. "Kilia. Um, don't worry, Aurelia!" She forced one of her cheery smiles. "Nothing's going to happen to him!"

I said nothing. Colette couldn't promise me that, and I just had a bad feeling about all of this.

We entered Dorr's office, to find that the main room where we'd spoken with him before was empty. I was puzzled for a moment, but it must have just been later than I'd thought.

Lloyd took a couple steps and scanned the room. "There's no one here."

"I think I hear voices from below," Colette said suddenly. She looked over at the archway that was usually guarded, which had stairs leading down to a lower level.

"Really?" said Lloyd. He seemed to be craning his neck to hear. "I don't hear anything."

"There's no one here," Kratos said shortly. "We should head down to the basement."

I found it hard to believe that Colette could hear something so faint. Perhaps it had something to do with her angel transformation. Anyway, we all made our way silently down the stairs. We stopped just at the bottom to hide behind some nearby crates as the room was occupied by Dorr and a Desian soldier. Oh dear…

"When will my wife…when will Clara return to her original form?" Dorr asked. He swallowed hard as though he were fighting back tears. I couldn't decide if I pitied this man or resented him. It was a very fine line.

"Not yet," the soldier replied. He held a bag of Gald in his hand, weighing it in his palm. "You still haven't paid us enough Gald. You've been paying us less and less."

"This is the best I can do!" Dorr protested. "The tolls, the municipal taxes, the offerings to the Church of Martel…there's nowhere left to squeeze more money from!"

"Well, I suppose this will do…for today. I'm sure Lord Magnius will remove the demon seed depending on your next contribution." He laughed a little under his breath and left through some other exit.

I could almost feel the heat of Lloyd's blood boiling beside me. I silently willed him to remain where he was.

"Father…" I suddenly heard Kilia's voice and saw she stood staring up at Dorr. I don't know if I just hadn't noticed her there, or if she'd only just arrived.

"Just a little while longer," he said absently, stroking her hair. "Just a little more an-and Clara will be back to normal. I'll just raise the fees on the pilgrimages and-"

Lloyd couldn't take anymore. Dorr cut off as he bolted out from behind the crates. "What's the meaning of this?" he exploded.

Dorr's face paled as he took in the rest of our group appearing from behind the crates.

"What's the matter?" Lloyd asked smugly. "You look like you just saw a ghost."

"Um, Lloyd, that's a really clichéd line," said Genis.

"Shut up, Genis!"

"What are you doing here?" Dorr demanded shakily. "Neil! Where's Neil!"

"I'm afraid Neil's not here," Raine said calmly.

Dorr stared downwards, his fist clenching. "So…Neil betrayed me!"

"_Neil_ betrayed _you_?" I began, but Lloyd cut me off as his curiosity got the better of him.

"What wrong with your wife? Has she been taken hostage or something?"

To my surprise, Dorr let out a dark laugh. "'Hostage'? Don't make me laugh," he spat. "If you want to see my wife…" He inched towards some sort of jail cell that was covered with a sheet. "She's right here!" He ripped the sheet away, and my knees almost buckled beneath me.

It was the most horrible thing I'd ever seen. It had to be at least 7 ft tall, and it had a strange, almost humanoid build. The arms were stretched out and dragged heavily on the stone floor behind it, and its skin was…it was a horrible green and purple color; the texture was as if someone had ripped all of the flesh away and left the muscles and tendons bare. There was no face, just a strange gem-like object in the middle of a rounded head. The blue, frilly dress it wore looked horribly out of place on this monstrosity.

Everyone made sounds of fear, even Kratos, which was saying a lot. However, his reaction seemed…different. The fear in his eyes could potentially run all the way through his being, and it was mixed with pain. Regret- a myriad of horrible emotions he was clearly trying his hardest to contain. He soon composed himself though, and the one moment of weakness I'd seen in this enigma of a man was gone in an instant.

"Ahh! W-What's that monster?" Genis exclaimed in terror, however, there was a horrible kind of recognition on his face.

"She's crying…" said Colette, precariously close to tears. "She's crying out in pain. You mustn't call her a monster…"

Lloyd seemed to catch on to what Colette was saying. "You don't mean…"

"That's right!" Dorr's voice was threateningly close to hysterical. "This is what's become of my wife, Clara!"

That…there was no way that could be his wife. This…this thing used to be a human? The Desians did this to a human being? How could they begin to even _think_ of doing something so horribly cruel? How did they even do this period? Better yet, why did I continue to be surprised by this? It was like around every corner was a new horror that they were inflicting upon others, and just when I'd thought it couldn't get worse…they did this.

"So that's why you told everyone she passed away," Raine figured out.

"My father, the previous Governor-General, was a fool," Dorr said bitterly. "Because of his defiant stance against the Desians, they killed him, then planted the demon seed in my wife as a warning. If I cooperate with them, they will give me the medicine to save her.

"But that means you're betraying the people of this city!" said Genis in dismay.

"What do I care? We'll never escape the rule of the Desians anyway." He didn't sound hopeless; he just sounded ignorant.

"Colette will…the Chosen will save the world!" Lloyd said fiercely.

"The Chosen's journey of world regeneration is not absolute. Don't forget that the last one ended in failure! Besides, the people of this city are satisfied with my way. They just don't know I'm working for the Desians."

"Then they're not _satisfied_, they're _oblivious!" _I snapped at him. "If they knew what was really going on, then they'd be furious!" I absently noticed through my anger that through all of this Kilia just stood by, expressionless.

"Exactly!" Lloyd raged. "Just shut up! What the hell do you mean, 'your way', anyway? I'm sorry about your wife. But think of all those people who believed in you, only to be sent off to the ranch! Any of them may have wound up just like your wife!"

"Silence, boy!" Dorr shouted. "Stop acting like your justice is absolute!"

This really seemed to piss Lloyd off. "Where do you get off? Don't even start spewing the word 'justice'! I _hate_ that word! If you wanted to save your wife, you should have resigned your position as Governor-General and searched for a cure, or help, or whatever! You're a worthless jerk who couldn't even give up his social status even for his own wife!"

"Lloyd, please stop!" Colette pleaded. "Not everyone's strong enough to stand up against Desians. Please, stop this!"

He looked a bit surprised. "Colette…"

She turned to Dorr. "What if we go and get the medicine you mentioned? Then you wouldn't have to side with the Desians anymore," she offered desperately.

He looked shocked and confused. "You…forgive me for what I've done?"

"It's not our place to forgive you. That's up to the people of this city. But I know Martel will forgive you." She placed a hand over her Cruxis Crystal. "The Goddess Martel is always within you, awaiting your own, personal regeneration."

He looked down. "Within…me…?"

"Absurd!"

Suddenly Dorr let out a cry of pain and dropped to the ground, and behind him stood none other than…Kilia!

"The Goddess Martel would never lend her aid to an inferior human being!" she scoffed.

"What are you doing?" Lloyd yelled in alarm.

"How could you do that to your own father?" Genis gaped.

"That's a laugh," she snickered, and then she began to change. Her body grew longer and slimmer, and she slipped out of the purple gown she had worn. Her skin was changing, her whole body was changing. Her blond pigtails became two spiraled antennae on the side of her head, which was definitely no longer human. Her torso was almost skeletal, with spikes jutting out from her ankles, arms, and shoulders. Her limbs were long and lanky, ending in sharp claws. The oddest part was I could still almost see Kilia's features, distorted in this new monster's appearance. But one thing was clear- whatever the hell this thing was, it wasn't Kilia.

"You're not Kilia," said Kratos, voicing my thoughts.

"I am a servant of Pronyma, leader of the Five Grand Cardinals who rule over the Desians," she responded.

"Pronyma…" The word escaped my lips before I could help it, but thankfully no one noticed.

"I was merely assigned to observe the new human cultivation technique, developed by Magnius. There's no way that a superior half-elf such as I, could have a fool of a father like this!"

"A…fool of a father…?" said Colette.

"Just look at him!" Kilia, or whoever she was, stared down at Dorr with distaste, a vicious smile on her face. "He didn't even notice that his own daughter was dead because he was too busy chasing after medicine that doesn't exist…in order to save his monster wife!" She let out a gleeful laugh.

"You…!" Lloyd's anger was too great for him to put into words.

"How could you!" Colette cried.

As much as I resented Dorr for what he was doing to Palmacosta, this was just too much. I drew my spear from my belt. "You're going to pay for this."

She laughed again, and without warning, lashed out at the nearest person, who happened to be Lloyd. With lightning-quick reflexes he pulled out one of his swords and blocked the attack, while swinging at her with the other sword. This set the fight into motion. Genis and Raine immediately kept their distance and started on casting spells, along with Colette, while Kratos, Lloyd and I started a full-assault close-up.

With six people against one opponent who, just a few moments ago, was only a little girl, you would expect the fight to be easy. However, of course things are never that easy. Kilia attacked by swinging her long, spiky arms around, often managing to hit two of us at once. With all of the swinging and thrashing she was doing, it was hard to actually land any hits on her.

"You humans are so pathetic!" she sneered, throwing a swing at me. "I will destroy you!"

I bit back a retort that surely would have put her in her place and swung my spear at her instead with full force, unleashing my Frenzy attack on her. It stunned her for half a second before she started lashing out again.

"Angel Feathers!" Colette's attack cut into Kilia and she cried out in actual pain for once. It knocked her down for a brief moment.

"She is weak against the light element!" Raine yelled, and began casting a spell. I ignored whatever it was for the time being and decided to take advantage of Kilia's momentary pause.

I took several steps back and then ran forward, plunging the spear's tip into the stone floor and launching myself into the air. "Predator!" I cried as I finished the attack. I flipped backwards out of the way as Kilia leapt to her feet and starting viciously attacking Kratos and Lloyd.

"Photon!" I heard Raine cry out. Orbs of light suddenly began exploding around Kilia, and just like with Colette's attack they appeared to be causing her great pain. She fell to the ground once more, stunned.

I performed Predator once again, only this time she was ready for me. Just before the spear landed in her chest, she reached out and grabbed it by the shaft, tossing me and the spear alike to the side. I hit the wall with a great impact and felt the air being forced out of my lungs. I groaned and struggled to sit up.

"Are you okay?" Colette called. She caught a chakram she had just swung.

Breathless, I held my thumb up in response.

When my breath finally returned, I jumped up and ran at Kilia. I swung my spear but it seemed she was catching on to my attack patterns and was able to evade me more easily. She leaned just out of range of my attack and then held both her arms out. A large, crackling ball of electricity formed on the ends of her arms and blasted me back. Once again I was knocked to the ground, only this time I could feel sparks shooting through my body.

"I-I'm g-getting really sick of thi-is," I stammered. The sparks were sending me into involuntary spasms.

I felt my pain fade as Raine cast First Aid and I was back in the battle.

A combination of Photon and Angel Feathers had just knocked Kilia back down, but she was soon up again in a burst of dark light, and this time, she had changed. Strange horn things were protruding from her back and curving around her. A long tail also had appeared, and these horns somehow allowed her to hover in the air.

"What is this thing?" Lloyd muttered. He narrowly avoided getting hit as Kilia's new horns all grew somehow and shot forward to strike Lloyd.

Yeah, I was really starting to doubt that this thing was a half-elf. Whatever she was, she was seriously deluding herself if that's what she thought.

"Get ready," Kratos warned as Kilia reared back for another attack. This time, the attack was aimed at Colette, but unfortunately, she couldn't fly out of the way fast enough and the horns struck her down. And let me tell you, even from where I stood, I could tell she was hit hard.

"Colette here!" I cried. I dug an apple gel out of my belt pocket and tossed it to her.

"Aurelia, watch out!" I heard Genis yell, but only a second too late. I whirled around and Kilia was just about to attack me.

"Dammit!" I hissed. I held my spear in front of me and braced myself for the attack…

…which never hit me because Kratos jumped in front of me and sliced the horns that were headed for me clean off.

Kilia shrieked and lashed out at him in a fit of rage. He couldn't do much other than block and get an odd swing in.

"Aqua Edge!" Genis' water attack made Kilia forget about Kratos and she started heading for him, although Lloyd had him covered.

"Kratos…" I said blankly, staring at him in awe. "You…you just-"

"Forget it," he said shortly. "And don't think you owe me anything either."

I rolled my eyes. "No problem there," I said irritably. The one likable thing Kratos had ever done and he had to go and ruin it.

Kilia suddenly let out a shriek and I craned my neck to look around Kratos. Her horns and tail had disappeared and she lay on the ground. I was sure that this time, she wouldn't be getting back up.

"This can't b-be…" she said weakly. "Fine…then…I'll set this monster free and let it kill you!" Before we could realize what she was doing, she dragged herself over to the cell holding Clara and broke the lock off of the door. With that, she went limp and her body exploded in a burst of mana.

The creature…Clara, it…she shuffled out of the cell, dragging her heavy arms along the floor behind her.

Lloyd looked panicked. "No, not again! Do I have to kill another innocent victim?"

I didn't have time to wonder what he meant, because Clara had just raised her arm and was about to strike Lloyd.

"Stop!" Colette cried, running in front of Lloyd and holding her arms out to protect him.

Clara paused and brought her arm back down. Letting out a warbled cry, she turned around and left the way the Desian from before had.

"W-Wait!" Genis called after her. He started to follow, but stopped when Dorr started to stir.

He opened his eyes and looked around, letting out a pained groan. "Is Kilia s-safe?" Oh dear. This wasn't going to be pretty. How could I feel any bad feelings towards him now?

Genis looked unsure of what to say. "Kilia…is…"

"Don't worry," Lloyd said reassuringly, kneeling down beside him. "It seems your real daughter is fine."

"Lloyd…" Genis' eyes grew wide.

"I see…" said Dorr. He let out a cough that did not sound good at all. It would seem he was running out of time. "You…your name's Lloyd?"

"Yeah…"

"Professor Sage, please, help him!" Colette pleaded to Raine.

Raine nodded and hurried to Dorr's side. The tip of her staff glowed white-blue as she held it over his body and tried desperately to heal him. However, I could tell from the look on her face that it was to no avail.

"Please…" Dorr's voice was barely even there. "Please…save Chocolat. That poor girl…she was just used as a tool to lure you out…" Dorr's hand shook as he reached into his pocket, pulled out a keycard and handed it to Lloyd. "The pass-code is…3341."

Lloyd nodded and stashed the card in his pocket. "Got it."

"And…I know this is a selfish request, but…if you somehow find a way to save my wife, please, help her return to her human form. When my daughter comes back, I don't want her to be all alone."

Lloyd looked hesitant, and I could see why. Dorr had done nothing but betray the entire city, not to mention tried to get us killed. I was reluctant too, but there was something I had to keep in mind.

"Lloyd," I said softly. "Clara didn't do anything. Don't make her suffer for Dorr's mistakes."

We exchanged a long stare, before he finally sighed in defeat and turned back to Dorr. "Okay. I promise."

"T-Thank you…" A faint smile crossed his face before the last of his life faded away. Dorr…at least he died happy. It wasn't the truth, but even he deserved to die with some kind of joy in his life.

No one spoke for a few moments. I don't think anyone really knew what to say.

Kratos broke the long silence. "…let's get going."

Lloyd whirled on him. "Kratos? How can you just say that?"

"Settle down, Lloyd. What is it that we must do now?" He looked at the angry boy expectantly. Lloyd stared at him blankly.

"Rescue Chocolat, then defeat Magnius, the leader of the region," Raine supplied.

"Exactly," said Kratos.

Lloyd sighed. "…yeah, I know. You're right. I'm sorry."

"Then are we headed for the inn, next?" I asked. "It's pretty late now. Leaving for the ranch can wait until morning, right?" I was really hoping they'd say yes.

"That would be best," said Kratos.

"Alright, then let's head to the inn!" Colette chirped. She was trying to stay cheerful, as always, but I could tell that Dorr's death really had affected her.

"What do we do with Dorr?" Genis asked nervously. "Do we just leave him, or…?"

"A guard will no doubt find him in the morning," said Kratos. "It would be wise to distance ourselves from this place so that the blame is not placed on us."

We left Dorr's lifeless form behind and headed to the inn.

* * *

Everyone else had long since fallen asleep, but my eyes wouldn't even seem to close. All I could think about was the ranch, and how this really was my final choice.

Did I go to the ranch tomorrow? I mean, I really did want to help the others, and save Colette, and of course stop what the Desians were doing. But all that meant fighting my own. Truly confirming my betrayal. Killing nameless Desians was one thing, but going up against Magnius, a Grand Cardinal? With that, word would surely spread amongst the Desians that I was fighting for the Chosen, and had turned my back on them.

_If you kill them all, then who's going to tell?_ my inner voice whispered darkly.

I'd still know. I rolled over in my bed to see Colette sleeping peacefully in her bed next to mine. To her it was so simple- stop the Desians. It was her job, and everyone else in this groups' job was to help the Chosen. All of them didn't even have a choice to make, and if they did, it was just whether or not they wanted to do this. For me, every fight felt like a life-changing decision, and I had no one to help me with it. How could I just betray the person who had taken care of me for all of those years and…?

I sat up suddenly. I didn't know exactly which part had triggered it, but everything had just become so clear. Why was I making this more complicated than it had to be? I didn't owe anything to Lord Yggdrasill anymore. He had lied to me. And that's all I needed to know, at this point. If these people were doing bad things, I was going to stop them, whether I was one of them or not.

Satisfied with my resolution, I lay back down and soon drifted to sleep.

The next morning we left as soon as we had eaten, and this time around, the trip from Palmacosta to the ranch seemed a lot shorter. Maybe we were moving faster, or maybe time was just flying, but either way, the two and a half days were over before we knew it.

Neil was waiting for us when we got there. He'd set up a sort of makeshift camp in the little alcove of trees where we had spoken to him before. He immediately leapt to his feet as we approached, his face looking hopeful, but his hopes were dashed when he took in our sober expressions. Lloyd began to tell him what happened, but Neil cut him off.

"…no. Don't say anything. From the looks on your faces, I can imagine what has happened to Dorr," he said gravely.

Colette nodded sadly. "But Dorr did say this: He wants us to save Chocolat."

"…Governor-General…" Neil stared at the ground. "I understand. Please take me along to carry out the Governor General's last wish." Poor Neil. He'd had such faith in Dorr, and now…

"All right," said Lloyd.

Raine waited a moment before saying, "At any rate, let's see if we can find a place to use that key we received from Dorr."

Lloyd nodded and fished the key out of his pocket to give to Raine.

"But you know," said Genis, "even assuming we can open the door and get in; I don't think we're going to be able to just go in and out as we please."

"We need to be properly prepared before taking action," Kratos agreed.

We spent the next twenty minutes or so spreading out all of the supplies we had and evenly redistributing them. We didn't know whether or not we'd all be able to stay together when we got inside, so it was better to be safe than sorry.

As we were getting ready to head inside, Colette looked over at me. "Aurelia, are you okay? You look nervous."

Exactly what she said when we were going to Dorr's. "I'm fine," I lied. "Let's do this." This time around, I really did have to pretend I was fine. Sure, I'd made my decision, but that didn't mean I wasn't scared of what was going to happen once we got inside.

"There should be a door around here…" Neil was saying. He led us away from the main entrance of the ranch and around to a side door. Beside it was a slot to swipe a key card into, with a number pad attached.

While Raine was handling the pass-code, Lloyd recalled, "Hey Aurelia, remember back in Triet when you-"

"Shh!" I hissed, not because I didn't want anybody to know (which wasn't untrue; for some reason I didn't want Kratos knowing this. It'd give him another chance to throw one of those irritating looks my way), but because he was being overly loud and this place would be crawling with Desians, that much I was sure of.

Raine got the door to open and we slipped inside. The inside of the ranch was a lot like the one in Triet. It was really technology-based with many computers around and whatnot. A teleporter sat nearby, but it didn't appear to be operational. Also, I was surprised that this entry wasn't guarded better. Perhaps they wouldn't have expected us to be able to get in this way.

Lloyd glanced down at his hand in surprise. "Hey, what gives? The Sorcerer's Ring is acting kinda funny…" He held his hand out to shoot a fireball like he normally would, but no fire came out. Instead, the entire room was washed in a strange, green light.

Raine looked around and then examined the ring. "It's…something like a radar."

"R-Radar…?" Lloyd repeated, looking clueless.

"To put it simply, you can see things you couldn't before," she explained. "I'd imagine that it has something to do with this ranch."

"Well that's convenient," he noted.

I approached the teleporter to look at it more closely. On the wall behind was a device that contained slots for three different key cards. I tilted my head to the side in thought. "Hey, where do you think this teleporter goes to?" I asked the rest of the group. "It's pretty high security."

Raine came over to look at it. "You're right. I'd say it either leads to where the captives are held, or the control room. My guess is the latter, though."

"Well we can't use it now anyway," said Genis. "We need three key cards, so let's look around some more."

Everyone seemed to agree with this, and we headed through a nearby door. Inside was a large, two-level room containing rows of prison cells that were filled with prisoners.

"It's the captives…" said Genis. He looked awed at the number of people.

"Please, let's save them," said Colette. Wait, wasn't that what we'd come here to do in the first place? Wasn't this already decided? Colette…sometimes…

"Yes," said Raine. "When you consider what'll happen, we can't just leave them here like this."

I turned to her. "Well what did you all think? That we were just going save Chocolat and abandon the rest of them?"

"Our original goal was never to free all of the captives," said Kratos. Apparently he didn't care that the captives in the nearest cell could probably hear him. "Planning a full-scale rescue would require time and planning, neither of which we used."

"How can you be so cold?" I fumed. "Are you saying that if we hadn't of come across the captives, we wouldn't have even tried to find them and save them?"

"Our objective was respecting Dorr's wishes by saving Chocolat, and stopping Magnius."

"Why you-!"

Lloyd cut in before we started a full-out brawl, which easily could have been imminent. "S-Shall we split into two groups then?" he asked, inching between Kratos and me. I was glaring; the mercenary remained stone-faced as always. "Some of us could stay behind while the others go on and-"

"No, please leave this to me," Neil interjected. "Members of the Palmacosta Army will be coming in soon. I'll remain here, join up with them, and free these people. Please, take care of Chocolat."

"Okay, we'll leave it to you, then," said Lloyd. "Be careful."

We all headed through the next door, although I felt guilty about just leaving all of those captives behind, even though they'd be freed soon enough.

In the next are we immediately came across a group of Desians. There had to be around five of them.

"Intruder!" one exclaimed when he saw us. He immediately rushed at us, drawing his sword. Kratos smoothly blocked the attack and slit his throat almost simultaneously.

The other Desians appeared stunned for a moment, as though they weren't quite sure how to react. It looked like we were going to have to give them something to react to. I pulled out my dagger instead of my spear. I hadn't really used it in a while, and I figured I needed some practice (great, so now the slaying of my kin was good "practice"? Ugh…). I ran to the nearest Desian and kicked him in the chest, doing a sort of spin in the air as I did. He staggered back and I drove my knife into his helmet, sending a jagged crack down the center.

"Point?" I heard Lloyd question.

I shrugged. "Just for style, I suppose." I removed my knife and plunged it into his heart. The blade came away soaked in blood so I knelt and wiped it clean on the Desian's uniform. It was then that I noticed something sticking out his pocket. I reached in and pulled out a purple, slightly bloody key card.

"I found one!" I announced to the rest of the group. They had all defeated the rest of the Desians. I handed it to Raine for safe-keeping. "Two more to go, right?"

"Yep!" Genis replied. "Come on, let's keep moving."

The next area was a spacious room filled with all manner of machines, and I hadn't a clue what any of them did.

"This room is huge!" Lloyd groaned. "We'll never find anything in here." He glumly held out the Sorcerer's Ring and used the new radar function. The entire room turned green and my sight was instantly assaulted with sparkles. They seemed to be everywhere.

"Why are there sparkles everywhere?" I asked Raine. "Are those all items?"

"It would appear so, yes. Anyone of them could be a keycard, so I suppose we should check them all."

Lloyd let out another groan at this, but no one paid it much attention and we all spilt up to search the room. For the most part, I found some rather random things (who just leaves life bottles lying around?), but I didn't find anything that could possibly be a key card.

"We searched everything, and no key card," Lloyd sighed dejectedly.

"Oh wait, something sparkled!" said Colette. She peered up at one of the machines. Sure enough, on the very top was a faint sparkle. It was too high up to be able to tell what it was though.

Lloyd craned his neck. "It's too high up to see."

"Wait here, I'll check it out," said Colette. She brought out her wings and flew up to the device to investigate. "Let's see, it was around here…" She searched around until she finally found it and flew back down. In her hand was a red key card.

"Awesome, now we only need one more!" said Lloyd. "Let's keep looking!" He ran ahead into the next area.

"I must say, I'm surprised he isn't bored yet," Kratos noted.

The next area was a long hallway lined with doors. We were going to have to check all of these rooms? This was going to be endless!

Raine must have noticed the expression on my face because she said, "It can't be helped, Aurelia. We need that key card."

I nodded. "I know. Should we maybe at least split up so we can check them faster?"

"That sounds like a good idea."

"Okay!" said Lloyd. "So how about me and Genis, Kratos and the Professor, and Colette and Aurelia?"

"Sounds great to me," I said honestly. As long as I wasn't stuck with Kratos. It seemed like the tension between us was continuing to grow by the day.

Colette and I took the first room, and I immediately wished we hadn't. Three Desians sat at a table eating lunch. They were probably on their break.

"Damn…" I said, a little too loudly. Not that they weren't already looking in our direction anyway.

One of them stood. "Who the hell are you? What are you doing in here?"

"Um, my name is…" I groped for some kind of explanation for being in here. I could explain myself truthfully, but obviously I was with Colette so that wouldn't work. "Well, you see…" You know what? Forget it. I would just have to fight them.

Without any warning I whipped out my spear and ran the speaker through. While he was still impaled on the weapon I slammed him into the wall and yanked out my spear.

"Get them!" the other one ordered.

The two ran at me (apparently I looked more threatening than Colette) and started attacking. I blocked the attacks with the shaft of my spear while Colette sent her chakrams flying at them. Both were knocked off balance and I took the opportunity to knock their heads together. Despite both wearing helmets, it was with such force that they were both knocked unconscious.

"Let's search the room," I said quietly.

The room was rather small so it didn't take very long to find the blue key card that they had stashed in a cupboard. I also found a piece of paper that was titled "Portal Map." It had a list of locations and next to each was a series of directions (east, north, south, or west). I stashed it in my pocket in case it could be useful.

"There, that's all three," said Colette. She started towards the door. "Let's go tell the others!"

I began to follow her but paused at the Desians' bodies. They were only unconscious, but as soon as they woke up every Desian in the building would be after us. It wasn't a risk we could take.

"I wish things didn't have to be like this," I whispered so Colette wouldn't hear me. "But you're bringing it on yourselves." I brought my spear down into both of their hearts, and then returned it to my belt.

Colette looked puzzled as I approached her. "Aurelia…?"

"Lloyd will be mad if we leave him to unnecessarily search for too long," I told her. "Come on." I left the room, wiping away the single tear I'd allowed myself to shed.

* * *

We quickly rounded up the others and made our way back to the room with the teleporter, all three key cards in hand. I tried my best to act like nothing had happened. I don't know why anything had in the first place. They were just any other Desians.

_Among the many you've been killing. It's adding up._

Raine had just finished placing the key cards in their respective spots. A blue-white light lit up the teleporter, indicating that it was operational.

"Is everyone ready?" the professor asked.

"We have enough items anyway," Lloyd muttered. He must have gotten even more items from the sparkling room than I had.

We all stepped onto the teleporter and I felt that same, falling sensation from the Fire Seal. When the light and the falling cleared, we were in the middle of some sort of walkway suspended high in the air. It was so high up, that when I looked down, not only did my knees quiver, but I couldn't even see the bottom. The walkway split four ways, with a teleporter at each end.

"How the hell do we know which way to go?" Lloyd exclaimed, outraged. "All those portal things look exactly the same!"

I looked around, deep in thought. I glanced down at my feet and found what I was looking for. On the ground next the teleporter we'd just been standing on were tiny arrows with a different letter (north, east, south, and west) marked on each. I pulled the map out of my belt and unfolded it.

"What's that, Aurelia?" asked Genis.

"I found it in the room with the key card," I explained. "It looks like it's some kind of map to figuring out the portals." I handed it to Raine so she could examine it.

"Hmm…we're headed for the control room, so it says here that the directions we need to go are west, west, south, north, north, west, north, and west. How are we to tell which way is which though?"

I pointed downwards. "There are arrows on the ground. It shouldn't be too hard."

"Wow, nice job Aurelia!" Lloyd grinned.

I shrugged. "Let's go save Chocolat."

We proceeded to make our way to the control room. I had never been through so many teleporters at once, and it wasn't a fun experience. My head pounded with dizziness and I thought I was about to throw up until, finally, we got a pause from teleporting. We had just come to the last of the walkways on the map when we saw it- Chocolat standing with her back against the wall and two Desians closing in on her.

"Lloyd, look!" Genis exclaimed.

Lloyd rushed forward. "Stop! Let her go!"

One of the Desians whirled around only to be met by Lloyd's sword. Lloyd pushed the Desian aside and he fell off of the walkway, down to who-knew-where. The other fell to his death with a blast of Demon Fang from Kratos.

Chocolat gazed upon Lloyd with adoring eyes. "You came to rescue me?"

"Yup!" said Colette. Her smile immediately melted into concern though. "Did they hurt you? Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine," Chocolat assured her. "Chosen One, everybody, thank you all so much."

"Ah, don't mention it," Lloyd said modestly.

"There is no time to be celebrating," said Kratos. "We still need to take care of Magnius."

The group fell silent with this realization. We didn't have much time to lose. We needed to get to the control room and shut this place down.

Raine got straight to business. "Assistant Governor-General Neil is taking the people imprisoned here to safety. Our job is to secure the control room and assure a safe escape."

Chocolat's face brightened even further. "Dorr finally mobilized his plans, didn't he?"

It seemed like everyone exchanged the same awkward glance.

"Um…um yeah," Lloyd said with a cough.

"I'm not sure if it's the control room or not," she began, "but on that back platform is one of those transport thingies that leads to a room filled sparkling lights and other magical-looking things. I'll show you the way."

"Magical-looking things"? She must have been talking about the computers. I suppose it would make sense for someone from the declining world not to have much knowledge of them. In fact, the only place I'd seen them was the human ranches we'd been to.

"Hmm, it may be a bit dangerous, but we'd appreciate your help," Raine told her.

"Of course. Follow me!" She lead us along the walkway to the back portal, like she'd said, happily chattering the whole time. She was worse than Colette when it came to staying upbeat in dangerous situations.

We took the portal to the next area, and she was right, it was definitely the control room. Computers and machines lined the walls, with blinking lights and switches.

Lloyd stared around the room in awe. "So this is the control room…"

"So, the forsaken Chosen and her entourage of vermin have finally arrived."

I glanced up in surprise to see Magnius swivel around to face us in a hovering chair. His chin rested on his fist; his legs were crossed.

"For…saken?" Kratos repeated with some confusion.

Lloyd glared at him. "You've got it all mixed up Magnius, you're the one that's forsaken! Your time here is up."

"Oh really…?" Magnius snapped his fingers and four Desians appeared, surrounding our group. They looked stronger than your average grunt, too.

"We're surrounded!" Colette cried.

Magnius let out a booming laugh. "Just like a bunch of stupid vermin! I know your every move. And I know about those inferior beings trying to escape too." He pressed a button the arm of his chair and the nearby projector flickered to life. The image showed Neil and a group of soldiers escorting all of the prisoners out of the ranch, only to have the front doors shut just as they arrived.

"How did Neil get in there?" asked Colette, her eyebrows knitted together in confusion.

"That's a projector," Kratos explained. "A product of magitechnology."

I kept my eyes glued to the projector as every door they tried to use closed on them. Soon, they were trapped in the room they stood in.

"Oh no, they're trapped!" Genis exclaimed.

Magnius laughed again. "A wasted effort! Everything you've done is meaningless!"

"How so?" Lloyd spat. "We can rescue everyone after we take care of you."

"Big words from someone whose futile actions caused the disaster at Iselia!" Magnius retorted.

Lloyd faltered. "Th-that…that was…"

"I know," he went on, acting as though an idea had just occurred to him, "how about I recreate that incident using the vermin on the projector? Watch. I'll unleash their Exspheres and turn them into monsters!" He reached for another button on his chair.

"No!" Lloyd roared. "Stop!"

"Come on now. I'll be more than happy to turn them into monsters, just like that old lady you killed…just like Marble! Hahaha!"

Chocolat let out a choked gasp. "M-Marble…? You don't mean…"

Magnius looked at her with fake sympathy. "Oh, but I do, my little Chocolat. Dear old granny Marble was sent to the Iselia ranch, where she was killed by Lloyd. I heard she met a pitiful end!"

There was a shocked silence. I tried to piece the story together in my mind. This Marble…she must have been the one Lloyd tried to help, and they turned her into a monster and set her on the village as punishment for breaking the treaty. And now…Lloyd and Genis must have had no idea that she'd been Chocolat's grandmother, because they now both wore horrified expressions.

Genis whirled around to face Chocolat. "Wait, it wasn't like that! Lloyd tried to save her! But the Desians turned her into a monster and-"

"Lloyd killed her," Magnius finished coldly.

"No…" Chocolat's inched away from us, tears running silently down her face. Unfortunately, she backed right into the willing hands of the Desians, and they had hold of her.

"Chocolat!" Colette exclaimed.

"Dammit! Let her go!" Lloyd raged.

And then, much to everyone's surprise, Chocolat glared at Lloyd. "Leave me alone!" she snapped.

Lloyd's eyes went wide. "Ch-Chocolat…?"

"I refuse to be saved my Grandma's murderer! I'd rather die," she said venomously.

"You mustn't say things like that!" Colette said pleadingly. "Don't throw your life away!"

"Dorr will save me," she said defiantly. "Leave me alone!"

Magnius laughed yet again. "Right, Dorr, huh. Well, whatever. Take her away!"

The two Desians who had hold of her took the teleporter and vanished from sight.

Lloyd tried to run after her. "Stop!"

The remaining Desians stood in our way, and three more had just come to join them. Lloyd sliced through the first one with a furious cry…and the second one…and the third one too, actually. He really was mad. The rest of us focused on the remaining two Desians, and despite the fact that they looked stronger than normal, it didn't take long for them to fall.

"Dammit! How could you idiots allow these inferior beings to defeat you?" He pressed a button and his chair lowered to the floor. He stood and pulled his axe from his back. "Fine, I'll take care of you myself! I'll put an end to the Chosen, right along with you fools who can't let go of your elven blood!"

I didn't have much time to wonder what he meant before he was rushing at us, swinging his axe wildly. My first instinct was to put distance between myself and him, so I stood back with Genis and Raine and watched him fight Kratos, Lloyd and Colette, trying to work out a plan in my head.

Okay, that axe was huge, and he wasn't too fast with it. However, when he did land a hit, I was positive it would be brutal. Staying close to him probably wouldn't be too smart for me, especially since this spear of mine wasn't really light enough for me to land quick hits on him, unless I used Frenzy. I figured that the best possible plan for me would be to run in and hit him with an attack like Predator, which would stun him long enough for Lloyd and the others to land some good hits on him, or to use attacks that didn't really involve any fancy spear-handling, like Shatter. I also had to keep my dagger in mind, in case I had to abandon my spear.

Just then three more Desians entered from the teleporter and joined the battle. They didn't even hesitate while stepping over the bodies of their dead comrades. Great. I'd deal with these guys first before worrying about Magnius. Besides, someone had to protect Raine and Genis while they cast.

"I've got you covered!" I told the half-elf siblings. "Just keep casting!"

I ran to meet the three Desians before they could get any closer. I knew that Genis would probably be helping me out, but other than that, most of their attacks were going to be focused on me. I needed to find a way to wipe them out quickly.

I was executing the attack before the idea had even formed in my head. "Vortex!" I held my spear away from me and twirled…and twirled…and twirled. With each twirl my spear slashed at the Desians and I could feel my dress billowing around me in a wind that had become to form. I ended the twirl in a dead stop and then sent the wind lashing out at them by hitting it with my spear. It was like a tornado had scooped them up and was tossing them around in the air, before it roughly slammed them all into the ground.

The attack had killed all but one of the Desians, but boy, had it taken a lot out of me. While Genis finished this one off with Aqua Edge, I downed an orange gel and focused my attention to the others.

"Flame Lance!" Magnius roared, and a spear made of pure fire formed and went crashing down on Lloyd and Kratos. Colette had just managed to fly out of the way and sent her chakrams flying at Magnius.

So fire was his strength. It somehow didn't surprise me. It looked like Shatter would be a good spell to use after all.

I ran forward to face Magnius. With Colette standing at a distance casting a spell (most likely Angel Feathers), and Lloyd and Kratos struggling to recompose themselves, it looked like I was the only target. He took a swing at me with his axe and I twirled out of the way (kind of odd, yes, but it beats being chopped in half). I brought my spear up to strike him and he blocked it with his axe. Our eyes momentarily locked and recognition flashed through his.

_Oh great. Now he knows who I am._

"You…" he breathed. "You're-!"

Not knowing quite what else to do, I pressed a finger to my lips and smiled confidently. "Shh. Wouldn't want to spoil things, now would we?"

This threw him off guard enough for me to give a mighty shove and knock him back some, and then slice at his stomach, just as Colette's Angel Feathers came sailing at him.

Lloyd caught up with me. "Nice of you to join us, Aurelia."

"Sorry I'm late Lloyd, I was kind of busy saving our spell casters' asses from those Desians that arrived," I shot back.

He threw a surprised glance over his shoulder to look at the extra bodies that now littered the floor. "Oh. Well thanks."

Magnius was preparing a swing at him. "Look out!" I cried.

He darted out of the way and Magnius brought his axe down onto the floor, lodging it in. While he fought to free it Kratos unleashed a vicious combo on him.

Magnius wrenched his axe free and swung at Kratos, knocking him back a few feet. I rushed in and focused mana into my fingertips, freezing the blade of my spear and then plunging it into his shoulder blade. "_Shatter_!" I cried, and the spell exploded in a mess of ice and blood. I grimaced and back stepped a bit while Magnius howled in pain. I should have realized that attack would be a bit messier when used on an actual person. Well, at least it was effective.

Only now his attention was focused on me, and judging by the look in his eye, he was not pleased.

He charged at me in a fury-filled assault, his axe rearing back in preparation to knock my head off of my shoulders, no doubt. _Oh faithful spear don't fail me now!_

I lifted up my spear to block the attack. The axe's blade dug into the shaft, but only enough to leave a shallow groove. I took advantage of the miraculous block by pulling my spear away and performing Whirlwind. He was knocked back into the welcome range of Lloyd. Lloyd sent a series of attacks his way, trying to focus on the part of his back that I'd seriously injured.

"HELL AXE!" Magnius, his axe coated in fire, swung it down and sent Lloyd flying.

Colette flew after Magnius. Her chakrams flew at him. "Ray Thrust!" He merely swatted her away like a fly and returned to punishing me.

He immediately started to use Hell Axe again, but this was not an attack I could block with my spear. I was sent flying and landed with a painful thud on the ground. Raine healed me and I was back up as soon as I could manage.

Kratos was sending attack after attack at Magnius, who was only just managing to block them, so I decided to help. I paused a few feet away from him and yelled, "_Reach_!" The blade on my weapon grew and impaled Magnius. He was just about to come bounding after me when Kratos let out another combo on him. I could tell he was just about on his last legs.

"_Tempest_!" Lloyd shouted. He did an insane, rapid series of flips through the air with his swords drawn and taking Magnius with him. The Grand Cardinal slammed into the ground and was only able to struggle to his knee, breathing heavily.

"Ugh, how?" he grunted. "How could a superior half-elf like me…?"

Kratos approached him. "It's because you are a fool, Magnius," he said darkly. "Cruxis has accepted Colette as the Chosen."

Magnius looked surprised through his pain. "W-What?"

"That's right!" Lloyd piped up. "Colette is going to regenerate the world! We're not going to lose to someone like you!"

"So…you're…" Magnius' voice was hoarse and I had a feeling it had to do with all of the blood that was pouring out of his back. "Then…I was deceived…" He let out a final sigh and collapsed to the floor, dead. I felt myself breathe a sigh of relief. It was done. He hadn't had a chance to give me away. It felt odd, but I crouched down beside Magnius' body and just stared at it.

Raine had already moved on to the main computer. She was fiddling with switches and pushing all kinds of buttons. I hoped she knew what she was doing.

Another projector came to life. It showed the two Desians leading Chocolat out the door towards some kind of transportation device.

"Lloyd!" Genis tugged at his friend's arm to get him to look at the projector, which presently showed on of the Desians cracking the whip at Chocolat in order to make her move faster.

"Dammit!" Lloyd cursed, watching helplessly as Chocolat was taken away to who-knows-where.

Raine was still busy with the computer. "There," she said finally. "This should allow the people imprisoned in the ranch to escape."

"What about the Exspheres implanted in them?" Kratos questioned. "Without Key Crests, it's only a matter of time before they go out of control." His eyes darkened.

"And if that happens, Palmacosta is a goner," I added quietly, my eyes never straying from their target.

"Can't we just take the Exspheres off them?" Genis suggested.

Kratos gave a slight shake of the head. "It's dangerous to attempt to remove an Exsphere lacking a Key Crest. I would imagine only a dwarf could handle it."

"Then we can ask Dirk to do it," said Colette.

Lloyd tore his eyes away from the projector. Chocolat was long gone. "Yeah. Let's contact my dad."

"We can work out the details later," said Raine. "Right now, I'm going to program this place to self-destruct. Ready?"

Everyone gaped at her. Even I managed to look away from Magnius' lifeless form at this.

"Are you _serious?"_ Lloyd exclaimed.

"Raine, if you do that-"

Raine interrupted her brother by saying, "At the very least, we'll deal a major blow to the Desian stranglehold over this region. If we're going to strike them, it should be thorough and decisive."

I gazed around the room with a heavy feeling in my gut.

"Raine…" Genis continued to protest.

She looked at him in a very sisterly way. "Remember Genis, we're not like them, we're different."

Her words rang clear as glass through my head. _Different…_ They were half-elves, and they weren't Desians. They were good; different. Just because being a Desian was something I was born into, it didn't mean that it was something I couldn't change. I could be like Raine and Genis. I could be different. I think this was the first time I'd ever looked at it that way.

An alarm pierced the air.

"I've set the self-destruct timer for ten minutes," Raine was saying. "Let's hurry and evacuate."

"She's crazy…" Lloyd muttered. He then noticed that I wasn't moving. "Come on, Aurelia, we need to go!"

I jumped to my feet, suddenly feeling a whole lot lighter. "Right, sorry. I'm coming." I followed them to the portal and this time, without even so much as a glance at the carnage I was leaving behind.

* * *

**A lot of my italics didn't transfer over for some reason and it infuriates me. Oh well. I did my best to fix it but it probably won't be the same D:**

**I had a dream last night that I got to dance with Zelos. I...had...the time of my liiiiife  
And he also told you all to review.  
Just kidding no he didn't. But you should anyway :)  
Until next time! 3**


	10. And the Abnormalities Continue

**I literally have been working on this _all_ day, I kid you not.**

**It was supposed to be up earlier, but I had projects and exams to worry about. Fun times.**

**Oh well. It was made better by spending my birthday with my best friend yesterday! She made me cupcakes. I knew there was a reason I kept her around. I've had 6 since then...5 of them being yesterday...three of them being when she gave them to me. So, _maybe_ I like cupcakes a little.**

***Also, I was rereading the last chapter last night and realized how many grammatical errors there were. Yikes. I tried to fix them but I couldn't even remember where half of them were. Meh, hopefully there aren't as many here. My italics tend to inexplicably run together with other words when I transfer it over from Word. Sometimes I can fix it, sometimes I can't. Anways: Please enjoy! :D**

* * *

We ran through the halls of the condemned ranch, the sound of the alarm drowning out any conversation we would have attempted to make. For me it felt like some kind of terrible burden had been lifted and I found myself running faster than most of the others.

Neil was waiting for us when we arrived outside. Lloyd skidded to a halt and asked, breathlessly, "What happened to the captives?"

"The Palmacosta Army is escorting them to Palmacosta as we speak," Neil informed.

"Then Neil, please get out of here, too!" Genis said urgently. "Hurry!"

Neil looked rather lost. "What?"

"It's going to explode!" Colette cried.

His eyes grew wide and he stumbled a bit as Lloyd grabbed his arm and pulled him along behind him.

I pushed myself to go as fast as I could. There couldn't be much time left before the ranch exploded, and if we were caught in-

_BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!_

"Gaaaaaaaaaah!" I screamed as I was flung into the air and brought back down with a painful thud. Burning debris rained down around me and smoke filled the air. I covered my nose and mouth with my hand and crawled, as best as I could, away from the flaming mess behind me.

Once I figured I was a safe distance away, I collapsed onto the dirt.

"Aurelia!" I heard someone call. It might have been Colette. Then again, it also may have been Kratos. My ears were ringing too badly to be able to distinguish any kind of voice.

"Over here!" I groaned to whoever had called me. I found my voice to be scratchy and hoarse from all of the smoke I'd inhaled.

It turned out that the speaker had been Genis (so I wasn't even kind of close). He jogged over and crouched down beside me. "Are you okay?"

I nodded feebly. "I guess I should consider myself lucky I wasn't closer. Still, _oww."_

He offered me his hand. "Come on, Raine will heal you."

I let him help me up and we headed over to where the group was being healed by Raine.

"I thought I was going to die," Lloyd was saying.

"I'm glad everyone's alright, though," said Colette. She glanced at me. "You _are_ alright, aren't you?"

I grimaced. "I'll be fine once Raine heals me." I cast a smile at the healer, who was presently casting First Aid on Lloyd. She nodded.

Neil hesitated before speaking. "Ah…what about Chocolat?"

There was a long pause. As in most situations, Raine was the one who spoke up.

"I think she was taken to another location," she said coolly. She hardly looked up from her work.

Neil stared at the ground. "I see…"

"If she's alright, she can still be rescued," said Kratos. Oh sure, _now_ he was all about the rescuing of ranch victims.

"Yes," Neil said decidedly. "If you learn Chocolat's location, please let us know immediately. Even Dorr really wanted to save her."

There was a bit of a sad moment when everyone stopped and remembered Dorr. I wished that I could feel hard feelings towards him, I really did- especially after everything he'd done, but when I took Clara and Kilia into account…I just found myself feeling sorry for him.

Lloyd clenched his fist in a show of determination. "Right. I swear, we'll find her." His eyes shone and I knew it was more than just keeping a promise to Neil. He needed to find Chocolat and set things straight with her.

"Also," Genis piped up, "the captives have something called an Exsphere embedded in them."

"It's dangerous to leave them as they are now," said Lloyd. "You need to send a letter in my name to a dwarf named Dirk who lives in Iselia. I'm sure he'll help you get them removed."

Neil made a mental note of this. "Dirk, in Iselia. I understand. Then, I shall go back to the city. Please stop by Palmacosta and visit us again anytime."

"What's going to happen to the city?" I questioned nervously. "With Dorr gone…"

"_I _will be taking Dorr's place," he replied. "Though, I never thought that would come about like this…anyway, thank you so much for all of your help. I must be off." With that, he left the remains of the ranch and headed towards Palmacosta.

Colette watched him walk away before turning to the group. "Where next?"

"That geyser place, right?" said Lloyd. "We need to get the Spiritua Statue for Koton." He looked less than thrilled at the thought.

"Thoda is only a day's journey away," said Kratos. "We can get there by noon tomorrow, no later."

Raine moved onto me next. I wasn't too badly hurt, just some scrapes from where my dress left my arms uncovered. She looked up at me for a moment. "Huh? Aurelia, what are you smiling about?"

I blinked. "What?" But then I realized that she was right, I _was_ smiling. "Oh I…I really don't know. I wasn't even aware that I _was _smiling." Really, when I looked at everything that had happened, I didn't have much reason to. Dorr was dead, and so was his daughter, and who _knew _what was going to happen with Clara. I'd just assisted in the assassination of a Grand Cardinal and the destruction of a ranch, along with the slaughter of countless Desians. I should have been miserable.

"_We're not like them Genis…we're different."_

I think it was those words that changed things. I'd been so busy worrying about what Lord Yggdrasill might think of this, or what Lady Pronyma might say about that, but honestly? It all seemed so pointless now. I had new friends now- people who I was determined to help save the world and stop the Desians, whether I was one or not. I didn't need to hold on to a perfect lie anymore, because I finally realized- perfect or not, it was still a lie, and I didn't need it.

"It's because I'm not like them. I'm different," I whispered.

"What was that?" Raine asked.

I felt my smile widen. "Nothing. I suppose I'm just happy that Palmacosta doesn't really have to worry about the Desians anymore, that's all."

She nodded. "They'll finally be at true peace."

"Yeah!" _Raine…thank-you. It's thanks to you that I don't have to feel guilty anymore. That part of my life is gone. I'm different._

Lloyd shook his head and laughed. "You're weird, Aurelia. Anyways, let's head to that geyser!"

Raine finished up the rest of my healing, and we were on our way.

* * *

After an uncomfortable sleep on the ground, we walked the morning away and ended up at Thoda almost just when Kratos had said we would (he really needed to quit doing that). Thoda wasn't really a town or a village or much of anything really. There was a building that was reminiscent of a House of Salvation, and a dock with no boats. That was about it. However, a nearby sign announced it as "Thoda Island Sightseeing Boat Dock! Experience the natural wonders of the Thoda Geyser!"

…yes, this place _sure_ looked exciting.

"Where's the geyser?" asked Lloyd, confused.

"The geyser isn't actually _here,_" I told him. "It's on an island. Isn't it?"

"…that would be correct," said Kratos.

"Well how do we get to this island?" Lloyd said impatiently.

"Let's head inside and see if there's someone we can ask," Colette suggested.

The six of us headed inside the House of Salvation-type building, which was pretty deserted except for a young girl sitting boredly at a counter. Her name tag read "Candy". When we entered, she perked up and plastered an incredibly fake smile on her face.

"Hi!" she chirped. "Welcome to the Thoda Island Sightseeing Boat Dock! This is the most convenient-" She cut off. "Well, the _only _way to view the Thoda Geyser." She paused to let her rambling speech sink in. "It will be 200 gald for a round trip. Would you like to use the boat?"

"Sure," said Lloyd, at the same time I muttered to Genis, "I didn't see a boat out there…did you?"

He shook his head.

"Thank-you very much!" said Candy when Lloyd handed her the money. "Just head on out to the docks!"

I shot a glance back at her as we were leaving, and sure enough, her smile was gone without a trace of it ever being there.

"Where's the boat…?" Lloyd wondered. He headed over to the dock and I saw his head tilt to the side in confusion. "It's a…washtub?"

Genis burst out laughing. "What? There's no way. Let me see." He led the group over to the dock. His face fell when he saw Lloyd was right. "Y-Yep. It's a washtub…"

"Washtubs, hmm…" said Kratos.

"Wow! This looks like it'll be fun!" Of course, this enthusiastic reply came from Colette.

"'Fun'?" I repeated under my breath. I crouched down to get a better look at the things. No wonder I hadn't seen them at first. They were shorter than the dock! Just round tubs with paddles. And we were supposed to cross the sea on these? I didn't have any problems with water, not like Raine, but this was clearly a death trap!

Speaking of Raine, she was practically shaking in fear. "I-I'm going to wait here," she said. "Go ahead without me."

"What's wrong, Professor Sage?" Lloyd asked her concernedly.

She shook her head slightly. "N-Nothing," she gulped, and then contradicted herself by saying, "I'm not getting in that thing."

"I agree," I said. "Maybe for slightly different reasons than Raine, but those things do _not_look fit to cross the ocean in." At that moment, as if the angels were trying to prove my point, Noishe came bounding down the dock towards Lloyd. "_Especially _not with Noishe gallivanting all over the place. If we do go, I call 'not it' for being in one with him."

Lloyd scowled at me. "Oh come on, Aurelia, not you too. Noishe is fine! I thought you liked him."

"I do," I said firmly. "But that doesn't mean I'm stupid enough to trust him in a washtub across the sea. You think he's so great? Then _you_ can go with him."

"That's perfect," Raine spoke up. "That will it will be even- two people to a tub. I certainly am not going to go and ruin the balance of people."

Colette grinned. "Aw, come on, Professor, it looks fun! Come on, let's get in!" She eased herself into one of the tubs and sat down, knees folded beneath her.

Genis, meanwhile, had been creeping towards his sister. "Yeah, Raine!" He grabbed her hand and tried to pull her towards the washtubs.

"AHHHHH!" she shrieked. Genis dropped her hand in surprise. We were all a bit surprised, actually.

"What's with the scream?" Lloyd asked, frowning. "Professor Sage…are you…afraid of water or something?"

Her cheeks went red. "I-I was just starting to say…'Ahhhh this should be fun!'" Shaking, she lowered herself painstakingly into one of the washtubs. She sat cautiously as though she was going to flip over and drown at any moment.

"Um…sure…" said Lloyd. Clearly he, along with the rest of us, wasn't buying it for a minute.

As we were getting into the washtubs, I saw Kratos shake his head and laugh. It caught me surprisingly off guard.

"Wait a minute," I said slowly. "Kratos…I can't believe what I'm seeing. It can't be true! You…you-!"

"What is it?" he snapped. He almost seemed paranoid.

"You…_laughed_," I finished incredulously. "You actually showed _emotion_ besides anger or annoyance!"

Right now, in fact, he was looking _very_ angry and annoyed. He didn't say anything and got into his washtub with Raine (it was decided that since _he_ was the most composed, he would travel with Raine so she'd stay calm).

"You're going to lose a limb one of these days," Genis said under his breath.

I snickered and got into my own tub with Colette. We each took a paddle to row with, but apparently being an angel makes you really strong, because I found myself barely having to row at all. All I did was keep us from going in a circle- Colette was the one who was really pushing us forward.

Luckily, the island wasn't horribly far away. It only took about an hour or so to reach it, and it was a good thing because by this point, I'd had enough of this forsaken washtub. As I hopped onto the dock and stretched my arms out, all of my muscles screamed in protest at having to be crammed into that tiny thing with another person and row for an hour. If we didn't need it to get back to the mainland, I would have set it on fire.

Raine remained in her washtub. Her knuckles were white as she clutched the side for dear life. "We've…finally…arrived…" she breathed.

Colette ignored Raine's suffering and clasped her hands together. "That was fun, wasn't it, Lloyd?" she said excitedly. Lloyd nodded and grinned in response.

"_I _disagree completely," Genis grumbled. "Sea water came in and I thought it was going to sink!" He glared at Noishe, who stood wagging his tale and panting happily.

Lloyd cleared his throat and focused on Raine. She didn't seem to be making any sort of attempt to get out of the washtub. He offered his hand to her. "Here, Professor."

She held her own shaking hand out to accept it. "Ah, right. Thank-you." She tried to let him help her onto her feet, but ended up collapsing onto her hands and knees.

Kratos looked from Raine to the washtub thoughtfully. "…that was a rare experience."

I glanced at him. "Are you referring to crossing the sea in a washtub, or Lloyd's show of chivalry?"

He thought a moment. "Both, I suppose."

"I hate both of you," Lloyd sighed.

I giggled. "I know. It's alright. Come on, let's go see that geyser!"

As if on cue, a monstrous pillar of water shot into the air from a spot we couldn't see up the hill. Droplets of water rained down on us as it fell back to the earth.

We headed up the rocky path to where the geyser was located. All kinds of tourists were milling around, despite how deserted the dock had been on the mainland. The cliff surrounding the geyser was framed with a wooden railing, the most logical reason being so that no one fell into the geyser and boiled alive.

Remind me again, why people liked to come see this thing?

Lloyd ran to the railing and stared down into the depths. As he did, the geyser erupted once again. He scrambled backwards. "Wow!"

"Lloyd, a geyser is a type of hot spring that periodically erupts with boiling water and water vapor," Genis reminded him.

Lloyd gulped and stared at the geyser, blushing. "Y-Yeah…I knew that."

I approached the railing myself, once the geyser had died down. I stared down the geyser, which, when calm, looked like some kind of hot spring, and searched for what might be Spiritua's Statue. I noticed something on the far side.

"There!" I shouted, pointing at the ledge in the cliff side. On it sat a marble statue of a woman, the diamond of the halo glinting in the sunlight. The others joined me to examine it.

_What I would like to know is how that priest managed to get it way over there, _I thought, shaking my head.

"That must be it!" said Colette.

"There's an opening in the railing over there," said Genis, nodding towards a spot where there was no railing. Why this was, I had no clue. It couldn't be safe, by any means. "All I have to do is stop the geyser with my magic, right?"

I glanced around nervously. "I don't know, you guys. Is it really such a good idea to freeze it with all of these people around? What if something goes wrong somehow?"

Kratos nodded. "Aurelia is right. We don't want to draw unnecessary attention."

"The tourists should start to leave once night approaches," said Raine. She seemed to have regained her composure, somewhat. "Why don't we wait a while and then try it?"

"That sounds like a good idea," said Colette. "We need to break for lunch anyway, right?"

We settled down in one of the few grassy areas nearby, luckily away from all of the people, and had our lunch. It was kind of interesting to just sit there and watch all of the people. It was quite relaxing, actually. It seemed like we'd done nothing but run around for weeks, so a chance to just sit back, with nothing immediate urging us to keep moving, was nice.

I was actually so relaxed, that I felt myself begin to drift asleep.

Which brought me into a dream. I was standing in an endless plain, completely flat. I dimly realized that the swaying blades of grass matched my eyes perfectly- a pale, jade green. The sea of green stretched on endlessly under a rose sky; the view was broken only by a pedestal rising up out of the earth.

Frowning, I decided to go see what it was. I felt a weird mana radiating from it as I approached. I tried to think where I had felt such a thing before…

I knew once I saw it. This pedestal…it was an oracle stone. I was sure of it.

_Hmm…I wonder what will happen if I put my hand on it?_

Obviously nothing _could_ happen, because only the Chosen, Colette, could operate the oracle stones and open passage to the seals. If I tried to do so, nothing would happen. So why bother?

Still, I was gripped by this fierce urge to lay my hand down. It just seemed right.

"It's a dream," I said aloud, which really, should have tipped me off right away that something was going on. People dreaming tend not to realize it's a dream. "What's going to go wrong?"

I pressed my hand down into the depression. Mana streamed from my hand into the stone and I felt the ground shudder under my feet. Something was changing alright, but looking around, I didn't see what was. The field remained the same.

"Aurelia, what are you doing over here?"

Colette's bright voice echoed through the field, which was beginning to melt away. It morphed into where I really was- the Thoda Geyser, which was drenched in the golden glow of sunset.

I blinked sleep out of my eyes. Yes, I'd been sleep-walking. Perfect. "Oh, Colette. Um, hi." I wasn't in the grass where I'd fallen asleep, but closer to the cliff's edge. I stood behind a sign, pretty much out of view, with my hand resting on…oh. The-the oracle stone?

Colette didn't appear to notice it. "We didn't want to wake you up, so we just went ahead and froze the geyser without you. The others just finished getting the statue, so we're going to…" she trailed off, staring at the cliff wall suddenly with wide eyes.

I followed her gaze and gasped. A bridge of light had formed from our side of the cliff all the way up to a ledge on the cliff wall, where there was the mouth of a cave that hadn't been there before.

It wasn't difficult to put two and two together. This was the oracle stone. That bridge of light had only just appeared. And here I stood with my hand resting on said oracle stone.

Colette was looking at me now with wonder in her eyes. "Aurelia, you just…that's the…"

I wrenched my hand away from the stone as if it had shocked me. "No I didn't!"

She stepped closer and stared down at the oracle stone. "But this is the oracle stone!"

"N-No it's not!" I stammered. I stepped away from it.

"Aurelia…" Her eyes bore into mine. "Um, I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure you just found the next seal."

"No I _didn't!_" I insisted. I cast a nervous glance over at the others, who were now fixated on the bridge. "It-it must be something else."

She sighed. "I'm the Chosen? I'd know an oracle stone when I see one. What happened?"

I bit my lip. "I…I don't know! I fell asleep and then I had this dream about a field and that oracle stone and I pressed it and I woke up and it actually had _worked_ so I must of slept walked over here and-" I cut off and continued in a frantic whisper, "Listen, Colette, you _cannot _tell the others about this because I see them coming over right now and you just-just need to pretend that _you_ did it, alright?"

"Wait, _what_? Aurelia, why can't I tell them? What's going on?"

I cast another glance over at the group. They were really close now. "Because, _I _don't even know what's going on, and I don't want to deal with all of the questions, and Kratos' suspicious looks and…and I just need some time to let this sink in and think about it. Promise you won't tell? _Quickly_ promise you won't tell?"

She hesitated a moment before saying, "All right, I won't tell. But we'll talk about this later, okay?"

I nodded quickly, just as the group approached us.

"Guys what is this!" Lloyd exclaimed. "That bridge just appeared out of no where!"

"I did it!" Colette announced. "Um, this is the oracle stone, and um, Aurelia found it for me and so I used it and um, that's why that bridge is there."

There was a long pause.

_Great! _I thought panickedly. _They're not buying it for a second. What-do-I-do-what-do-I-do-what-do-I-_

"So this is the Seal of Water!" Raine concluded.

I sighed in relief.

"Aww, that sucks!" Lloyd grumbled. "I didn't even need to get that Spiritua Statue!"

Colette looked relieved as well that the others had believed her. "Cheer up, Lloyd! Just think of it as giving you the opportunity to have fun riding in the washtubs."

He didn't look convinced. "Yeah, I guess, but…"

"Besides," said Raine. "It wasn't for nothing. This is only one seal. We still don't know where the remaining ones are, so that book is vital to obtain."

"Fine…"

"S-So are we going to go in now, or…?" My voice shook horribly.

Kratos raised an eyebrow at my obvious nervousness. "...I don't see why we shouldn't. Now would be the ideal time, when there is no one around."

Genis shrugged. "Yeah, it'll be dark inside either way."

I ran ahead to the bridge. It felt solid beneath my feet, but I still had that feeling that it was going to fall through. It was made of light, after all.

"Well then let's go! That seal isn't going to release itself!" Oh wow, I sounded like Lloyd.

"Excellent!" said Raine. She followed me across the bridge. "Now, let us begin the excavation at once!"

Lloyd sighed. "We're not here to excavate anything…"

I let the others pass me, a fake grin stretched across my face. Kratos was the last one to pass, but we both froze when we saw someone approach the beginning of the bridge.

It was Sheena, the assassin from Ossa Trail. Kratos and I exchanged a look.

"_Stop!"_ she cried. The others had entered the cave already, so we were the only ones to witness this.

"What do we do?" I exclaimed.

Sheena ran at the bridge but was cut short as Noishe leapt in front of her. He wagged his tail and barked at her.

She skidded to a halt. "Ugh, w-what the hell? Corrine!"

A small, fox-like animal appeared in a puff of smoke. It began throwing itself at Noishe, trying to get him to move, but Noishe didn't react at all. He still stood panting happily at Sheena.

"What's wrong?" I called to her.

She glanced up. Her eyes narrowed with annoyance.

"He's just a dog," I continued with a smirk. "Surely the great assassin can handle it?"

Kratos sighed impatiently. "Enough of this." He grabbed me by the shoulder and pulled me inside.

The last thing I heard Sheena shout was, "Grr, I'll get you next time for sure!" I laughed at her, loudly so she was sure to hear.

Everyone else had been waiting for us, it seemed.

"What took you two so long?" Lloyd asked, annoyed. Our faces must have shown that _something_ had happened, because then he asked, "What's wrong?"

Kratos almost smirked. "It looks like that girl didn't make it inside."

"What girl?" Lloyd's forehead crinkled in confusion.

"That annoying assassin from the Ossa Trail," I replied. "She was out there."

"She _followed_ us?"

"You didn't notice?" asked Kratos. "You didn't hear the shouting from outside?"

"Oh, I wondered what that was," said Colette. "What did she want?"

_...really though…?_

"My guess would be to kill you," Genis said sarcastically.

"Noishe should keep her busy for a while," I said, "or she'll at least give up and wait for us at a different place. Let's just get this seal released!"

"You're beginning to sound like Lloyd," Raine mused.

"I know," I muttered. "Let's just go."

We set off down the rocky slope of the cave. It was pretty dark; the only light came from faintly glowing blue ore in the cave's wall. The sound of trickling water was ever-present.

I couldn't stop thinking about the oracle stone. Add one more question to the vault, I guess. What _was_ that? There was no way that should have even been possible! And yet…here we all were, at the Water Seal, and Colette hadn't had to lift a finger to get in.

"Ugh, I just don't understand…"

"Don't understand what?" Lloyd asked.

…oh damn. Had I said that out loud? Maybe I needed to just stop thinking about these things around other people.

"N-Nothing," I told him. "Just, um, why that assassin is after us, I guess. It worries me."

"I kind of am too," he admitted. "I wish she would just talk to us so we could understand her better."

I nodded, but didn't say anything.

We finally reached flat ground. It was a cavernous room that was at least a bit brighter than before. Water poured down the majority of the walls, pooling in a stream that circled the whole room. Another thing that I noticed was that it was really warm in here, and the air was damp.

"The Sorcerer's Ring is being weird again," said Lloyd. He held it out and a stream of water shot out. "Whoa! Water came out of the Sorcerer's Ring!"

Genis looked around the room. "Well, the Thoda Geyser _is_ a plentiful source of water, so maybe it reacted to that."

"With this power, we can supply water even to distant areas," said Raine.

Lloyd frowned. "But if all it does is squirt water, that sure seems kind of…weak."

"Well it certainly wouldn't be very useful in combat," Raine agreed, "but I'd imagine that it has something to do with the trial and unlocking the way to the seal room."

"I guess…"

"Bored already?" asked Kratos.

"_No!"_he snapped. "C'mon, let's go!" He ran through an opening in the wall without a second thought.

"You know," I began. "Just for that, I kind of hope he gets attacked by monsters. He really doesn't think things-"

"_AHHHHH!"_

"-through."

Genis slapped his forehead. "You just _had_ to say it, didn't you?"

We all rushed after Lloyd to help him. The next room was like an assault on my eyes. It was so much brighter than the last one, with plenty of glowing ores that almost made it seem like we were outside. It was made up of a series of bridges over waterfalls and rivers.

Once my eyes adjusted to the brightness, I took in Lloyd and his…attackers? I couldn't help it. I burst out laughing.

What I had expected to be some kind of huge sea monster (as we _were _at the "Water" Seal), was actually not so menacing. It seemed that Lloyd had been attacked by a horde of moderately sized starfish. Hmm, yeah. Not quite as menacing. They were latched onto him, weighing him down. He thrashed and kicked in an attempt to get them off, but they stayed stuck on.

Genis collapsed into a fit of laughter. "Oh, _wow_, Lloyd! You really outdid yourself this time, huh?"

"It's not _funny!"_ Lloyd screamed. "Get them off of me!"

"They're so cute!" Colette noted. "I don't think they mean you any harm, Lloyd. They're just hugging you, that's all!"

"No, Colette, they really aren't! They're trying to kill me!"

This got me and Genis going again.

"Alright, we don't have time for this," Kratos said, being a killjoy as always. He approached Lloyd and started to pry one of the starfish off of him, when it suddenly detached itself from Lloyd's arm and reattached itself to Kratos' face! He stumbled backwards and tore the thing away from his face, slamming it into the ground. Angry red welts were left behind.

Genis and I instantly sobered.

"Still think they're cute, Colette?" Lloyd asked her bitterly. He was still struggling to free himself from the starfish when something dropped from the ceiling- a giant tortoise, with a rocky blue shell that looked like it could easily crush two of us at the same time.

Now this was more like what I'd been expecting.

"What the hell?" Lloyd blurted. "This is ridiculous! It's like they're working together!" He began fighting even harder to break free.

"See Lloyd?" I looked pointedly at him. "This is what happens when you rush into things without thinking. You get pinned down by oversized starfish and trampled to death by a giant turtle."

He glared at me. "Or you could _not_ make fun of me, and _SAVE ME!"_

"Sure thing." I whipped out my spear and charged at the beast. Seeing as my spear obviously wasn't going to pierce that shell, I instead dove to the ground and stabbed its underbelly. The beast reared up with the intent of stomping on me, but I rolled out of the way.

"Maybe you should focus on _getting these damn things off of me first?"_

I rolled my eyes. "Don't yell at _me_ when I was only trying to stop that thing from charging at you. Ungrateful, really."

"AURELIA!"

I cringed. "Sorry, sorry!" Okay, now how was I going to get those starfish off of him without falling victim myself? Hmm…

"Okay Lloyd, I have an idea. Just try not to get hurt, alright?"

He blinked. "Wait, what?"

I stood in front of him and took a deep breath before crying, "_Whirlwind!"_

"_Aurelia?"_

I twirled my spear in front of my, kicking up the fierce wind that went with this attack. I tried my best to drown out Lloyd's screams of protest and instead focused on hitting only the starfish. _Only the starfish…_

Meanwhile, Kratos, Genis and Colette and taken on the tortoise monster. But I wasn't paying any attention to that, because I needed to focus on only the starfish. _Only the starfish…do _not_ hit Lloyd…he will kill you…only the starfish._

Finally, all the starfish lay dead on the ground, and Lloyd was free. Not that he was at all grateful towards me about it.

"You could have _killed_ me!" he fumed.

"Not really," I told him. "It wasn't that strong of an attack. Raine could have healed you."

"That's not the point!"

"Are you done, Lloyd?" Kratos asked impatiently. The others must have already felled the giant tortoise because it was nowhere to be seen. "Because if you have no further complaints, we need to move on."

Lloyd stared him with outrage plain on his face. "'Complaints'? But she-!"

"Now, now Lloyd," I said teasingly. "Kratos is right. There's no time to dawdle."

Kratos nodded. "Let's move on, and please, take more caution. We don't want this to happen again."

Lloyd gave both of us an angry look.

Not far ahead there was a set of something like scales, only instead of trays there were jars with different amounts of water in them. Another set lay below us on a lower level. Finally, a platform holding a warp point stood unconnected from us.

"I'm guessing that warp point is how we get to the seal," said Genis.

"But how do we get over there?" asked Colette. "I can fly, but the rest of you can't. I could lift you and-!"

"That won't be necessary, Colette," said Raine. She was closely examining the scales. "I assume that these scales probably have something to do with being able to gain access to that platform. My guess is that we have to set them at a certain balance by using the Sorcerer's Ring to fill them with water."

"Huh. Well that doesn't sound too hard," Lloyd said. "Let's just fill these jars with water until we get the right balance!"

"It's obviously not going to be that simple, Lloyd," said Genis. "See those other scales down there? We probably have to do something with them, too."

"I agree." Raine's eyes scanned the room. "Hmm, I wonder…Lloyd, would you mind filling this jar with water?"

"O-Okay…" He approached the side of the scale she referred to and used the Sorcerer's Ring to fill it with water. There was a loud rumbling sound, and across the bridge, a section of the stone slid away to reveal a passage. At the same time, a wall of stone slid into place across an opening on the lower level.

"Thank-you," said Raine. "Now, then, let's move on to the next area. We need to search for something that will grant us access to that platform."

We headed across the bridge and through the passageway, which cloaked us in temporary darkness as we headed down the slope. We emerged into the lower level, which didn't show much difference from the last, except for the fact that it was slightly less in tact. Pieces of the bridge were crumbling into the water.

"So…what now?" Lloyd asked blankly. I could see where he was coming from- there was nothing of interest in this room except for a block of stone and the faint outline of a doorway on the wall.

"Then that must be the door that closed," I noted, pointing at it.

"'Closed'?" Lloyd repeated.

I nodded. "Yes. When you filled that jar with water, and the door opened, there was one on the lower level that closed. This must be where it leads to."

"So then as long as one door is open, then the other one can't be?" said Colette.

"It would seem that way," Raine said. "Hmm, then Lloyd, could you run back to the scales and empty that jar? I'll give you further instructions once you get up there."

He looked confused. "Huh? How will you do that?"

"This door leads to the same room, but on a different level. We'll be able to see you. Just wait for us."

"Um, okay…" He ran back up through the dark passageway.

"What do we do?" Genis asked his sister.

"Just be patient."

Sure enough, several minutes later the door Lloyd had returned through sealed itself shut, while the other door slid open.

"Alright, now before we go through, we need to move that block of stone," Raine instructed.

I gulped as I stared at it. "It looks pretty heavy."

"I'll do it," said Kratos. "Where would you like me to move it?"

"Just below where the door drops," she told him.

He did as he was told and, with a great effort, began sliding it across the floor towards to doorway. After a minute or two he got it into place.

"Now let's go," said Raine. She slid past the stone block and headed to the previous room.

"It'd be nice if she actually told us what was going on," Genis muttered.

"Hey, at least she's not going into that crazy ruin mode," I said to him.

He looked up at me. "Oh, just you wait. It _has_ to be coming any minute!"

We followed Raine into the next room to find that she was already instructing Lloyd (who stood leaning over the railing of the bridge) on what to do next.

"Now refill that jar, and then come back down here. You'll find that the passage will remain open."

He nodded and filled the jar with water. As he did, the door on his level rose up, but as the one down here dropped down, it was caught on the stone block that Kratos had pushed into place. _Now_ I was getting it.

Lloyd hurried back down to meet us. To kill time while Lloyd was on his way back down, Raine had begun to gush over the scales. It was about time.

"Really though, you have to admire the beautiful craftsmanship," she was saying. "It couldn't have been an easy feat to connect these scales to the doors over there, which might I add are quite smooth. I highly doubt they are a natural occurrence in this cave. And another thing-"

"Oh look Lloyd's back!" I cheered as Lloyd pushed past the stone block and joined us. "Lloyd, how are you, dear Lloyd?"

He blinked. "Is the Professor finally in Ruin Mode?"

I nodded sadly.

Lloyd cleared his throat loudly to get Raine's attention.

She whirled around. "Ah, Lloyd. Ahem, yes. If you would, please fill these jars with equal amounts of water." She paused. "_Precisely_ equal, if you could."

"But that'll take forever!" he protested.

"We'll wait."

He muttered a couple of curse words under his breath, but approached the scale anyway.

Colette looked at Raine. "This could take a while, couldn't it?"

She nodded. "It is quite likely."

"Well then." I settled down on a part of the ground that wasn't too wet. "We might as well make ourselves comfortable, hmm?"

"I hate you," Lloyd said cheerfully over his shoulder.

I responded by holding my hands up in the shape of a heart.

We sat there for quite a while as Lloyd continuously filled the jars, and poured them out when the water levels weren't even enough. He'd often burst out with random expletives, which Raine would yell at him for.

Finally, after what seemed like an hour, a platform suddenly rose up out of the water beside us and continued up to connect the upper level with the once unreachable platform.

"I DID IT!" Lloyd exclaimed joyfully. "THEY'RE EQUAL! IT'S A MIRACLE!" He even went so far as to start doing a little dance.

"That's great Lloyd!" Colette cheered. "Now we can use the warp point! Come on, let's go!"

We practically had to drag him away from his little happy dance so we could go back to the upper level. We all gathered onto the warp point (I got sickening flashbacks to the Palmacosta Ranch) and were transported to what was assumedly the seal room.

It looked much like the seal room from the Triet Ruins, with the seal resting in the middle, only the standing room was much more limited. I blamed this on the pool than ran around the length of the room. It was darker in here, so I couldn't really see into the water. It unnerved me.

Lloyd wiped sweat off of his forehead. "This place is all dark and humid. Let's hurry up and get out of here."

"We must release the seal first," Kratos reminded him.

"I _know_ that."

We stepped off of the platform and Colette approached the seal.

"I feel mana…welling up…" said Genis. "It's the same as the Seal of Fire."

I tensed. "Then that means-!"

Water suddenly sprayed forth from the seal like a geyser, bringing, of course, enemies with it. There were three, I think, but they instantly dove into the water so I didn't get to see what they looked like.

"What do we do now?" Lloyd asked panickedly. He drew both of his swords, throwing frantic glances at the water.

"Does anyone happen to specialize in underwater combat?" I asked in a weak attempt at a joke. Naturally, no one thought it was very funny.

"Genis, why don't you zap the water with a lightning spell?" Lloyd suggested. "Water is weak against lightning, right?"

At that moment, one of the creatures leapt through the air and sailed over our heads. Water rained down as it passed. I'd only caught a quick glimpse of it, but it looked to be some kind of mer-creature.

Lloyd sighed. "Never mind. I'd rather not be electrocuted."

Raine, who was usually pretty focused on the situation at hand, froze. "Lloyd! You remember that-!"

"_Professor, watch out!"_Colette cried out as one of the mermaid creatures soared through the air again, catching Raine's shoulder in the teeth of the shark heads it had for arms. She was dragged backwards until Colette sent one of her chakrams sailing at the mermaid and it dropped Raine.

"This is like the boat ride all over again," I said, readying my spear. "At least these guys aren't growing-"

"DON'T JINX IT!" Lloyd and Genis shouted at me.

I laughed sheepishly. "Um, sorry I-AHHH!" I screamed as something suddenly grabbed hold of my leg. Like that I was on my stomach, being dragged towards the water.

"Aurelia!" Lloyd yelled, running to help me, but he was _just_ too late. I felt his fingers brush against mine before I was pulled into the water.

It was a lot deeper than it looked on the surface- deep enough for me to be completely submerged and not even touching the bottom. I looked into the face of my attacker, which had the faintest resemblance of a maiden's face, but only in shape, I realized, as it smiled pointed shark teeth at me.

I gave a muffled scream and kicked my leg into its gut. Its grip didn't loosen. In fact, it bit down even harder with its shark mouth hand, and the fangs punctured my boot and ankle. I could feel the rush of water around me and knew that the other two mermaids had arrived. Dammit.

I'd managed to keep hold of my spear, so I tried to swing it at whatever it could connect with. It swung so much more slowly in the water, and so the cut I inflicted on the largest mermaid, my attacker's, face didn't do much to hurt it other than cause its grip to loosen. I took this opportunity to kick my leg free and swim towards the surface.

I'd almost made it when the two lesser mermaids grabbed onto both of my legs. I started panicking then. I was certain I was going to drown- I was up against three mermaids, and quickly running out of oxygen. In one last, desperate attempt, I pointed my spear up out of the water, desperately hoping that someone would grab onto it and pull me out.

There was a violent tug on my spear and I knew someone was trying to pull me out. I looked up and saw Lloyd and Kratos both holding onto the shaft of my spear and pulling with all of their might.

With one, momentous tug, I was out of the water. I gulped in breaths of air gratefully. However, one problem remained- I was still in the grips of the mermaids.

Lloyd ran to them, crossed his swords and plunged them each into a mermaid's face. Horrible, high-pitched screeches erupted from them and I heard a splash as my legs were released.

"T-Thanks," I coughed.

"Be more careful," Kratos said irritably, as Lloyd helped me to my feet.

I glared at him, and then suddenly remembered something. My hands flew instinctively to my ears, which, thankfully, were still covered by my now soaking hair. I gave a sigh of relief. That had certainly been close.

"One of those lesser guys is dead," Lloyd reported. "Two more to go."

"Any injuries?" Raine asked me.

"My ankle. Mutant shark-mouth-for-hands freaky-"

A huge pillar of water came crashing down on the group, knocking us all to our feet. The other lesser mermaid dove at Genis. Its mouth opened wide, intent on ripping his throat out.

I came to my senses the quickest and lunged at the thing before it could get to Genis. "_Frenzy!"_ I aimed my attacks solely at its neck and soon enough, its head came clean off. It landed with a sickening plop at my feet.

I slapped my hand over my mouth. "Oh gross!"

Everyone was back on their feet at this point. Our casters were casting, and then there was Kratos, Lloyd and I. We stood at the ready, waiting for the leader of this freaky fish pack to show itself.

_Swoooosh!_

I whirled around. "There!"

"_Angel Feathers!"_ Blades of light sailed towards the place I'd pointed at. There was a faint, warbled cry and blood pooled in the crystalline water.

"Did I get it…?" Colette asked hesitantly.

The mermaid soared out of the water once more. One of its shark hands had been sliced clean off, and it appeared to know who to blame. Colette let out a squeal and flew out of the way of her attacker. However, it clamped down on her leg with its remaining hand and they both fell painfully to the ground.

"Colette!" Lloyd rushed forward and immediately began hacking away at the creature's arm. The mermaid let go of Colette and aimed for Lloyd's legs instead. Wow, this thing sure had a thing for chomping on legs.

While Raine healed Colette, Kratos and I ran forward and unleashed as many attacks as we could to get Lloyd free. When Lloyd finally managed to liberate himself, Kratos brought his sword down on the creature's neck. Blood clouded the puddles at our feet as the three bursts of mana appeared around the room. They all floated towards the altar and congregated there. It was much like before: the seal reacted, a strange mana momentarily appeared, and then it was done. It had been released.

Remiel's voice echoed through the chamber. "Chosen of Regeneration…you have done well in reaching this far. Now, offer your prayers at the altar."

Colette nodded. "Yes!" She approached the now soaked altar and kneeled down. "Oh Goddess Martel, great protector and nurturer of the earth, grant me thy strength!"

Colette's wings unfolded from her back and she lifted into the air. A light shone from above, and just like before, Remiel floated down.

_Here we go,_ I thought. _What lies has he come to spread this time?_

Remiel smiled at her, but it held no warmth behind it. "You have done well, Chosen One, Colette. The second seal is now released."

"Thank-you, Father."

Ugh, I couldn't take it. I just couldn't take hearing her call him "Father" anymore. I took a step forward. "Colette! I-"

I should have known what would happen. As soon as I'd started to speak, my throat closed up and I began choking.

Lloyd stared at me in alarm. "Aurelia? Again?"

I glared at the angel, who looked calmly down at me, as though waiting for me to finish. When the violent coughing finally subsided, I simply said, "I must have had some water left in my lungs. I'm really sorry, please, continue." My voice was hoarse and barely audible. I locked eyes with Remiel, and willed him to hear my message: _You're not fooling me, Remiel. I know that you're lying to Colette, and I _will _find a way to tell her. You can let Lord Yggdrasill know all you'd like. We'll see whose side he takes._

Although I doubt he truly read my mind, I could tell that he got the gist of it because his eyes had suddenly grown even colder. He returned his attention to Colette.

"…accept this blessing from Cruxis. I hereby grant you additional angelic power."

Colette, who couldn't possibly have seen mine and Remiel's exchange, seemed confused at his sudden coldness. "Ah…F-Father…?"

He raised his hand and sent a stream of mana towards Colette. It didn't change anything physically about her this time, like her wings, but no doubt something had changed within her.

Remiel was speaking again. "The next seal lies far north, in a place that gazes upon the end. Offer your prayers at the altar in the distant land."

Colette frowned, and I could see hurt flash through her eyes. "Father, have I done something to displease you?"

Remiel's eyes flicked towards me before saying, "…it matters not. All that is needed is for you to become an angel. I will be waiting for you at the next seal. Colette…my daughter. Hurry and become a true angel." He began to rise back up, his body fading from sight.

His last words echoed just as his first. "Do not disappoint me…"

Colette floated back to the ground. No one spoke for several moments. It was Genis who broke the silence.

"What's up with him?" he said irritably. "He always talks like he's so important."

Colette flinched and rejoined us, her head hung slightly.

"Genis!" Raine exclaimed. She slapped him in the back of the head. "Apologize to Colette!"

"I'm really sorry!" he said hastily.

"It's alright," Colette said quietly. "Father…Remiel really does sound like that."

I stared at her sadly. Perhaps I was wrong. Perhaps I _wasn't _the only person doubting Remiel's intentions. At the moment, Colette certainly didn't look like she believed much in them herself.

Lloyd coughed awkwardly. "Um, well, shall we get going to the next seal? Although, he was confusing as usual."

"Stop complaining," Kratos told him.

"Yeah, we're going to be getting the book, remember?" Genis reminded him. He still rubbed where Raine had hit him.

"Yeah, I guess…"

"Then let's get moving," said Kratos.

They all started to gather onto the platform, but I noticed that Colette stayed where she was. Her eyes remained fixated on the ground, like she was thinking deep thoughts.

I approached her. "Colette?" I said gently. "We're leaving."

She looked up at me. "Oh, r-right."

I tried to pour as much as I could into my eyes. _Please understand me,_ I silently begged. _There's something wrong, and I know you feel it too._

To my surprise, she nodded ever-so-slightly.

* * *

**I've always found it kinda random that Remiel just suddenly gets all cold towards Colette. So, I decided I'd give it a more obvious reason!**

**ALSO. I have a question for everyone. Answer it if you want, it's okay if you don't.  
I recently downloaded the song "Balance" by A Skylit Drive. At one part, the lyrics say something along the lines of:  
"Listen to my story, this may be our last chance  
Cuz people die, and people dance"  
Now. Does this, or does this not sound like a Final Fantasy X reference? People die and dance= Summoners performing the sending  
And the first part, Tidus actually says in the game  
Sorry. I had to get this out there hahaha. I'm curious about it! It sounds like one! Rawr!  
**

**Anyways. I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I enjoy cupcakes.  
Reviews are always super appreciated! And make me go like this: :D**


	11. Loose Threads

**Thank the heavens! It uploaded!  
Lol sorry for my excitement, but my internet was being wonky and I couldn't upload it after I worked ALL day yesterday after school to finish it ._.**

**Anyways, this chapter is a bit short than I've been doing lately, for which I apologize, but that's just because it's more of an Aurelia-plot based chapter, as opposed to stuff from the game. So with that in mind, I hope you enjoy it! It was a spur of the moment kind of thing.**

**BTW- Anyone recall those OCs I said I'd made in english class? Well, one of them is mentioned in this chapter. _Perhaps_ soon to be introduced? Who knows. Enjoy, and I apologize for any rushed mistakes I made. They shall probably be fixed once I get a chance to reread it. As of now, I have a history report to write :(**

* * *

There were quite a few similarities between this seal and the last one. Solving puzzles, fighting guardians, seeing Remiel- but unfortunately, this also meant that as we were leaving the temple, Colette collapsed once more.

At first no one noticed. We were heading out of the cave, but as we approached the ledge the bridge didn't appear. Puzzled, Lloyd looked over his shoulder and his eyes immediately widened.

"Professor Sage! Colette's sick again!"

I whirled around. Colette lay barely conscious just inside the mouth of the cave. No wonder the bridge hadn't reacted to her.

Raine rushed to her side. "Oh no! We must let her rest immediately."

"Time to set up camp, then," said Kratos as the professor took Colette into her arms.

Raine looked to be thinking about something. "Yes…but if this is going to happen every time she releases a seal, Colette is going to have a difficult journey ahead of her. For the time being, I'm going to call the phenomenon Angel Toxicosis."

Colette began to stir. She released a faint groan and her eyes fluttered open.

"Colette, are you okay?" asked Genis concernedly. "Does it hurt?"

"I'm fine," she replied weakly. "It'll go away soon…I'm sorry for worrying everyone."

Lloyd crouched down beside her and gave her a stern look. "Okay, that's enough. You're not allowed to apologize anymore, okay?"

She laughed softly. "I'm sorry…"

Raine carried Colette across the bridge of light, which had appeared with Colette's approach, and we set up camp in the area that we'd rested in earlier that day. The moon had already risen high above us, and with the long day we'd had, everyone was exhausted. Genis made a quick meal and we all settled down for the night.

I myself couldn't sleep. My mind was racing with everything that had happened today, and me and Colette still had plenty to talk about. Of course, she was probably more worn out than the rest of us and definitely needed her sleep, so I wasn't about to disturb her.

That was when I heard a soft voice say, "Aurelia…? Are you awake?"

I rolled over to see Colette sitting upright on her bedroll. "Colette!" I whispered. "Shouldn't you be asleep? The Angel Toxicosis is-"

"I'll be fine," she dismissed. "Could you come over here? I…I want to talk to you."

I cast a quick glance at the rest of the group. Everyone else was asleep except for Kratos, who was on night watch. He sat apart from the group, far enough that he shouldn't be able to hear Colette and I if we whispered, but I was still wary.

"I don't know Colette…won't Kratos say something if you're still up?"

She shook her head. "I haven't gone to sleep yet. I feel wide awake. He hasn't said anything. Please?"

This was about more than just the oracle stone. This was also about what had happened with Remiel. Sighing, I crawled over to her.

"So," she began after a while. "Where do we start?"

I pulled my knees up to my chest and wrapped my arms around them. "I don't know. Today certainly has been…different."

She nodded. "Um, how about the oracle stone? That was certainly…" She trailed off.

"Different?" I supplied. "Ugh, I can't even begin to comprehend what that was."

"Well…has anything like that ever happened like that before?" she questioned.

I looked at her and paused. "How many seals have we been to aside from this one, Colette?" I asked her.

"One…"

"Right, the Seal of Fire," I said. "Now, did it happen there?"

She seemed to get my point and shook her head. "I just don't get it. Only the Chosen is supposed to be able to operate the oracle stones. And you're not the Chosen."

"I'm aware," I mumbled. I wasn't trying to be harsh or sarcastic with her, but all of these mysteries were beginning to wear a little thin with me.

"If only you could get your memory back," she was saying. "Maybe if you knew something about your past, then that would make more sense."

"Yeah…maybe…." I knew, of course, that this wasn't true. I knew all about my past, and if some random human girl shouldn't have been able to work an oracle stone, then some random Desian girl _really_ shouldn't have been able to. But still, Colette had a point. Maybe if I could somehow remember more about my life before I'd ended up down here, I could figure this out.

I silently chastised myself for wondering what Lord Yggdrasill knew about any of this, even though I had a sneaking feeling that he might.

"Are you sure you don't want to tell at least the Professor?" asked Colette. "Because you know, I think she really could help you out with-"

"No," I interjected. "I'm sorry, Colette, but no. This is something that…I just feel like it's better not to give the others anymore worries, and since there's probably not much she could know about this, it's just better to not bother telling them. It's not…relevant."

She didn't look convinced. "Yes but…don't you at least want to know what's going on with you?" She paused. "Oh, I'm sorry; I didn't mean to say it like that."

"No it's fine," I told her, "because there _is_ something going on with me. However…this journey is about you, Colette, and, well, we need to be more worried about this 'Angel Toxicosis' business than some freaky power that I have."

"But Aurelia-"

"Look, I'll make you a deal," I sighed. "You try to stop worrying about this for now, and if it comes up again, then I'll tell Raine. Okay?"

She thought it over long and hard. Finally though, she gave in. "Okay, I'll try…"

"Thanks." Sitting here with her, talking about yet another thing I was going to have to keep a secret, I felt the sudden urge just to tell her everything- about me being a Desian, and how I'd been lying and how I hadn't really lost my memory at all, at least not in the sense I'd been pretending. She was just so easy to talk to, and…and it felt like she might understand. I'd never seen Colette show harsh feelings towards anyone, and besides that, we were friends right? She's understand why I'd lied, right?

No. I was wrong. I realized this suddenly and without warning. Why was I trying to delude myself? Colette's goal was to regenerate the world and rid it of the Desians that plagued it. Desians like me. I was her enemy. There was no way I could tell her. No way that I could tell _anyone_, for that matter.

And right now, more than ever, that's what I really wanted. Someone to talk to.

I snapped myself out of it before I ended up with some sort of sad expression and Colette noticed. "Um, so speaking of all the angel transformation, how are you feeling?"

She dropped a smile I hadn't realized she'd been holding. "Oh. Um, I'm fine."

"Just fine? Are you still in pain?"

She shook her head. "No, not really, but thanks for asking." She shifted slightly and I could see a plate of rice and vegetables, still uneaten, sitting on the ground behind her.

"Colette…" I frowned. "I thought you said you were going to finish your supper later?"

"O-Oh…" She looked rather guilty. "Um, I'm still not hungry. I'd actually kind of forgotten about it."

"'Forgotten about it'? Colette, you know, you really haven't been eating a whole lot lately." It was true, now that I thought about it. She would receive her plate and either pick at it or announce she wasn't hungry. It couldn't have been good for her health. "This journey is going to keep getting harder. You do know that, right?"

"Y-Yes."

"Well then you need to keep up your strength," I said. "Especially with the angel transformation taking its toll on you at every seal."

"I know…I'm sorry…it's just-" She cut off and shook her head. "Never mind."

"What is it?" I pressed. "You were just about to tell me something."

"Yes, but it's really nothing." She cast her gaze downwards.

"_Colette_." I gently touched her arm. "You can tell me what it is. After all, a secret for a secret is only fair, right?"

"Aurelia I…it's just like you with the oracle stone. It's something I need to handle on my own."

I shook my head. "Not if it's something affecting your health. I promise I won't tell Raine or any of the others."

She considered it for a moment before blurting, "I've eaten close to nothing since the Seal of Fire."

I blinked. "…what?"

She nodded quickly. "Um, yeah."

"But that's impossible!" I pointed out, still stunned from her sudden confession. "You'd…you'd be dead!" All of the time since then…it'd had to have been at _least_ two weeks. Probably more. There's no way she'd survive!

"I don't understand it either," she admitted. "The first time I tried to eat, I had absolutely no appetite. But I hadn't eaten for a while so I knew I had to eat _something_. But…I just could hardly keep anything down."

I stared at her. "Wh-What…?"

"Yeah…plus, even when I did eat something, I couldn't taste it at all." She stared downwards again. "I even tried green peppers. By that point, I was desperate just to taste _anything_, but…" She shrugged. "No taste."

"Colette…" I struggled to wrap my brain around this. There were so many things I wanted to say to her right now, but I settled with, "Is that all?"

I could tell before she said anything that it wasn't. "Um, no," she replied, shaking her head. "But, this one isn't really that bad. I can also hear really well now. Everything is just super clear."

"So all of this has been going on since back in Triet," I said slowly. "And that whole time you never said anything about it?"

"I didn't want anyone to worry." A typical Colette response.

I shook my head in disbelief. "Colette, you've lost the ability to eat. That's a worrisome topic! Has anything changed since this seal yet?"

She hesitated. "Well, it's too early to say, I think, but um…well I haven't gotten tired yet. Not even a little, and normally I would be exhausted. But, um, the night doesn't seem so dark anymore. I can see everything really clearly." It was like she had added in that last part as some kind of advantage, but all I processed was that she couldn't sleep anymore. I was almost sure of it.

"You see?" I had almost shouted this at her, but I had to keep in mind that Kratos wasn't too far away, and everyone else was asleep, so I maintained the angry whisper I'd been using. "This whole angel process is clearly doing something weird to your body!"

"I'm just becoming an angel," she tried to reason, but I think her argument sounded weak even to her.

"According to who, Remiel?" I said quietly.

She fell silent.

"Colette…you don't believe him at all, do you?" I asked her gently.

"I…no," she said quickly, as though she just wanted to get it out there. "I-I don't know. He just seems…off. I know that you've noticed, haven't you?"

"Of course I have. And I'm surprised that no one else has. The way he talks- he tries to mask it behind that 'fatherly kindness' but…he just seems so highhanded. And I don't believe for a second that he's really your father."

"I have my doubts too," she admitted reluctantly. "But, he's an angel. Angels are good, right? So he can't be that bad…right?" She sounded like she was trying to convince herself more than anything else.

I bit my tongue. It's not like I could say anything, no matter how badly I wanted to. All of these secrets were so closely intertwined that tugging at even the tiniest of loose threads could cause the whole thing to unravel. I was at least happy that even Colette doubted it. That meant I didn't have to feel quite as guilty for withholding information about it.

"I'm sure everything will be fine," I told her instead. "Don't worry Colette, we'll figure this out."

"Wait!" she said with slight panic. "You can't tell anyone, okay? Especially not Lloyd…"

"Lloyd?" I repeated.

"I don't want him to worry more than he already does," she explained, throwing a glance over to where he lay sound asleep.

I smiled. "You really care about him, don't you?"

She blinked. "Well of course I do. Lloyd is one of my very best friends! He has been all of my life."

"Oh I see." I held back a laugh. Colette really was clueless, wasn't she? "Well don't worry Colette. Since you're keeping my secret safe, then it's the least I can do to do the same for you."

"Thank you so much, Aurelia," she said gratefully. "And…I'm sorry. You should probably get some rest. You actually need it…"

I waited a moment before nodding. "Right, I will. Let me know if anything else comes up, okay?"

"I will…good night."

I nodded in response and then crawled back to my bedroll, falling instantly asleep.

* * *

Early the next morning we loaded into those wretched washtubs and paddled back to the mainland. The trip was even worse the second time around, if possible. It was morning, and I was tired from my late night discussion, and I'd just eaten, and I was feeling _incredibly_ seasick. Plus, just _looking_ at Noishe squirming around and rocking that washtub made me more than paranoid that my own was going to flip over. So you can imagine my delight when we finally made it to the dock and were allowed to leave Thoda behind for good.

"Right then," Lloyd said rather cheerily for how early it was. "On to Hakonesia Peak to get our hands on that book!" He grinned and held up the Spiritua Statue like some kind of trophy.

"I'm surprised you remembered, Lloyd," Genis jabbed.

"Shut-up Genis!"

I looked over my shoulder at Thoda Island in the distance. "It certainly was convenient that there just happened to be a seal there. Could you imagine if we had to come all the way back here again if we hadn't found the oracle stone?" If _I _hadn't found the oracle stone, that is.

"Well we found it so that's all that matters," said Raine, paling slightly at the thought. "Let's get going."

Genis and I exchanged an amused look before following after her.

The journey back to Hakonesia Peak took about two days. Both nights Colette informed me that she couldn't sleep, no matter how hard she tried. She pretended for the others' sakes, but I knew for a fact that she simply lay awake for the entire night. No one else happened to notice, thankfully.

I was more than happy when Hakonesia Peak came into view. With it came the possibility that we'd be moving on from the Palmacosta region, which I was starting to get sick of travelling across.

Koton's eyes locked onto the statue greedily as we entered the cluttered house. Lloyd approached him and held it up.

"Is this what you're looking for?" he asked.

"Oh! This is indeed the Spiritua Statue!" Koton's eyes seemed to have glazed over as he gazed upon the relic. "Give it to me!"

Lloyd pulled the statue out of reach of the grabbing hands. "In exchange for the Book of Regeneration."

"I know, I know," he said impatiently. "Just be sure you remember- I'm only letting you look at it."

Lloyd nodded and, somewhat reluctantly, handed the old man the statue.

"Ah, wonderful!" he exclaimed joyously. "Now you may look at the Book of Regeneration as much as you like."

"All right!" Genis cheered.

"I thought I made it clear last time," Koton snapped at him. "Only the three beauties over there can look at it."

The look Genis gave him was murderous.

"I-I'll stay back here," I said nervously, backing away from Koton.

"Let's start reading it right away!" Raine said eagerly. She and Colette approached the book, while the rest of us stood at a respective distance. The book was extremely worn and battered. Every page was brittle and torn, so Colette had to take extra care in turning the pages so as not to damage the book further.

Raine examined each page carefully. "Hmm. It's written in a very old style."

"What does it say?" asked Lloyd.

"There's quite a lot of text," she replied. "Colette, please read aloud just the parts that concern the seals."

She nodded. "Okay, I'll skip over the torn parts." She skimmed through the book until she found something of interest and began reading aloud, trailing off at parts that were too torn to decipher. "'Raging flames in an ancient city deep within clouds of sand overlook the city, lighting the darkness. Pure, flowing water floating, overflowing, in an isolated land becomes a giant pillar and rains down from the sky. Sublime wind, ancient city, the world's…Enshrined in the center of a giant stone seal lurks evil, impersonating a holy force. Shining…gazing up at the summit of the gods, giving praise to the pillar of the world…from the top of the tower of ancient gods. Two giant…'" She squinted hard. "The rest is too damaged," she said disappointedly. "I can't read it…"

"Then we don't even know how many seals are left," Genis said in dismay.

"Indeed…" Kratos murmured.

Lloyd looked thoughtful. "The 'raging flames' part at the beginning must be the Seal of Fire, right? What do the other parts mean?"

"Well, I'll take a wild guess and say that the giant pillar of water was the Thoda Geyser, so the seal we just released," I reasoned.

Raine, too, was trying to figure it out. "The Seal of Wind must be…the Asgard Ruin. If we travel to Asgard, we should be able to find some clues."

"What about 'gazing up at the summit of the gods'?" Genis wondered.

"I think that's probably the Tower of Mana," said Colette. "From there, you can see the mountains around the Tower of Salvation, so that's probably the 'summit of the gods'."

"But what seal is that?" asked Lloyd.

"Uh…hmm. I don't know."

He looked disappointed. "…oh well. At any rate, we know where the seals are now. Let's get going." He turned to Koton. "Thanks, Gramps."

"Thank you so much!" Colette said kindly.

Where he had ignored Lloyd's thanks, he grinned at Colette. "Come back whenever you'd like if you want to look at it again."

We said our goodbyes and, thankfully, left the death trap of a house behind.

"So, we need to get past that exit to get to Asgard, right?" I asked. "How are we going to do that? We don't have road…" I trailed off as Raine pulled six road passes out of her bag.

"Neil supplied us with road passes back at the ranch," she explained. "You must not have rejoined us yet when he did so."  
"Oh…o-okay. Well then, let's get going!"

We approached the checkpoint and went through all of the proper procedure- showing our road passes and whatnot. In about ten minutes we were through the checkpoint and on our way to Asgard.

The journey past the checkpoint only took about an hour or two. The city really was one of ruins. It was built almost into the mountain wall, with everything made of varying stones. Since it _was_ built along the mountain wall, there were many sets of stone staircases leading up to other levels, as well as several cave entrances with wooden frames around them. The sun was beginning to set, and since we were here to hunt for clues, that meant we'd no doubt be here for a while. I had a feeling that how quickly things had unfolded in Palmacosta was just pure luck, and that somehow, finding out about the Seal of Wind might prove a bit more difficult.

There were several inns in the town, each varying in price and luxury. It must have been because this place was such a tourist spot, with all the ruins. We ended up choosing a middle class inn, and proceeded to settle into our rooms.

We didn't have a horrible excess of gald, so as always, we shared two to a room- Kratos and Lloyd, Genis and Raine, and Colette and I.

Raine was _far_ too excited about being in this place.

"Just look at the architecture of the buildings! They truly are ancient! Of course, the stone used in their building would have to be very durable due to the harsh winds that tend to appear. Tomorrow, we're going to the dais where the sacrifice rituals were held years and years ago. It will be _thrilling!"_

"Um, Raine?" said Genis. "Try to remember why we're here, please?"

"To look for clues!" Colette chimed in.

"We'll begin searching for information tomorrow," said Kratos. "Chosen One, make sure you get some rest."

Colette's face fell. "R-Right. I will…"

I groped wildly for a subject change. "Um…uh…hey! I know! Colette, let's go shopping! We're getting a little low on provisions."

She smiled slightly at me. "Okay, that sounds like fun!" She turned her head slightly and mouthed, "Thank you".

"Alright, then we'll be back in a little bit, guys," I told the others. The two of us started on our way to the item shop.

"Thanks, Aurelia," Colette said quietly as we walked. "But you know, you don't have to try and cover for me."

"Why not? It'll be a lot easier than having to fend for yourself. And besides, we really are running low on supplies."

She laughed, a genuine smile crossing her face.

I realized once we got to the closest item shop that I'd forgotten to ask the others about their supplies.

"Ugh, I'm so sorry Colette, I don't know what I was thinking," I told her once I'd realized. "Do you think you could go back and check with Raine on what we need?"

"It's okay," she said. She unfolded her wings from her back, as there was hardly anyone around. "I'll be back in a-" She cut off mid-turn and gasped in alarm.

Sensing trouble, I whirled around and found said trouble. A trio of Desians, who had clearly been following us for a while, had begun to circle around us with our pause.

"Damn," I hissed. My hand crept towards my belt. Good, I'd brought my spear with me. What a stroke of luck. "Colette, you can fly. Go back to the others and-"

The Desian nearest to her drew his sword with lightning speed. In an instant he had the tip pointed at her throat, just above her Cruxis Crystal. It stopped her from making any kind of movement.

"Chosen One," he sneered. From the part of his helmet that left his mouth and jaw uncovered, I could see that he was smiling cruelly. "Just where do you think you're going?"

If Genis were here, he'd probably say something about how clichéd that line was.

I pulled my spear from my belt. "How many of you do we have to kill before you get the message?" Although my words themselves were harsh- in my mind, to my ears, they were pleading.

One of them laughed loudly. "Ouch, check out the tongue on this girl! I might have to just _rip_ it out!" They all chuckled at this.

"Anyway," the first one went on, once he'd stopped laughing. "It looks like we found our mark." He tightened his grip on the sword he held towards Colette, but I could feel all eyes on me. Something told me it wasn't specifically the Chosen that they were after this time around. "And a nice little bonus."

They all started laughing again. Colette eyed the shaking sword in front of her fearfully. Never had laughter seemed so fatal. The worst part was, she was probably thinking that they were referring to her, the Chosen. However, I knew almost for a fact that _she_ was the bonus and I was their mark.

"Lady Olivia will be so pleased that we tracked her down," the remaining one boasted. "Although, they don't really make it difficult for us, now do they?"

I tensed while they all started up again. _Olivia?_ I thought, puzzled. _Who is Olivia? There are only Five Grand Cardinals, and this "Olivia" isn't one of them. So who is she that she gets to command her own men?_

"Surely the lady will be interested to know who the girl's been travelling with, too. It'll probably spread like wildfire through the ranks, eh? Certainly is news to _me_ anyway. Probably the big man himself, too."

I froze instantly at this. Wait a minute…

Despite the fact that this guy had just given away a lot of pointless information that his fellow soldiers probably already knew, it was valuable to me. If what he said was true, then news of my betrayal had yet to get back to Lord Yggdrasill. I suppose though, that there wasn't really a whole lot of ways that he _could_ have found out. The only Desians who had recognized me so far were Magnius (who we'd killed), and Botta (who wouldn't have much reason to know that after I'd escaped, I'd continued travelling with Colette and the others).

If all of this was true, then that meant that the only Desians who knew I was a traitor stood before me. I knew what I was going to have to do.

While they were all busy laughing, I grabbed the back of Colette's dress and pulled her out of range of the Desian's sword. This gave me a clear path to assault him with my spear. He was so thrown off guard that my spear ran through his heart and instantly killed him. Huh. I guess laughter really _was_ fatal after all.

This gave the other two enough time to prepare themselves for a fight. They drew their weapons and began circling around us.

"I don't have my chakrams with me!" Colette cried in a panic.

My grip tightened. This fight could potentially be a tough one. "I-It's alright. Just try to keep your distance and cast, and I'll _try_ to cover you."

She nodded, and didn't waste any time in conjuring up a spell circle.

As the Desians circled around us repeatedly, I carped, "Oh please, what are you, sharks? Quit circling around us like that and fight; you're making me dizzy." When they ignored me, I added, "What, now that I killed the man who was _clearly_ your ring leader, you're lost on what to do?" I lashed out with my spear at one of them and he blocked it with his shield and countered with an attack of his own. I jumped back out of the way and smirked. "There you go. Much better."

He made an annoyed sound and swung at me again. I blocked his sword with my spear and pushed him back. He stumbled and I swung at the other one, who had started towards Colette. I managed to get his arm before he jumped out of the way.

I paused and listened to Colette's chant. It sounded like Angel Feathers, so I was going to have to lure them close together so that they would both get hit.

I ran behind the one who I had pushed away and opened a cut down his armor and into his back. He howled and whirled around on me to commence slashing at me with his sword in a frenzied manner. I managed to block most of the attacks (except for a stab that I took to the shoulder), all the while pushing him closer and closer towards his cohort, who was conveniently making his way in my direction anyway.

"_Angel Feathers!"_ Colette suddenly cried out. The sparkling blades of light sailed through the air and sliced at the two Desians, while I ran back to avoid getting hit by it. The attack really did take a toll on them, too. The Desian whose back I'd sliced open was killed by it, while the other was seriously weakened.

Colette began casting another spell and I closed in on the remaining enemy. His exposed jaw was trembling, along with the rest of his body. He knew what was coming. He knew what was about to happen. And he was frightened. Fear- the first humane quality I'd seen in the Desians since arriving here. It stopped me dead in my tracks.

"P-Please…" he stammered in a voice that was almost inaudible.

Could I kill him? Knowing that he would very well beg for his life if that's how I offered to let him keep it, and that he was so desperate to live- could I actually kill someone like this?

_He'd kill _you_ if he had a chance, _that pesky inner voice reminded me. _Or at least capture you and bring you to that Olivia girl. Kill him!_

"_Aurelia look out!" _Colette's piercing scream shattered my thoughts.

I whirled around, just as the first Desian I thought I'd killed plunged his sword deep into my gut. I let out a choked scream and clutched at my bleeding stomach.

He smirked. "Never turn your back on an enemy unless you know he's dead. Those apple gels sure are a life saver, huh?"

I couldn't find the breath to respond, so I glared at him instead and unleashed one of my attacks.

"_Frenzy!_" My voice was choked and pain-filled, but the attack was still effective. He fell to the ground and I stabbed and stabbed at him until I knew that there was no possible way he could be alive.

I spun around with sudden realization. The remaining Desian! If he escaped, then he would…

My eyes raked the area in a desperate search for the Desian, but he was nowhere to be seen. My spear slipped from my bloody fingers, landing with a clatter on the stone pathway.

"He ran away," Colette said quietly. "Are you alright? We should get you back to the Professor so she can heal you. That wound looks pretty bad."

I looked numbly down at my stomach. It was true. Blood covered my entire dress. I was probably going to have to buy a new one. That, _and_ the searing, hideous pain I felt from the wound was an indication that it was a bad injury.

"R-Right." Ignoring the agonizing pain it caused me, I bent down to retrieve my spear and returned it to my belt. "Let's go then."

The path we were on ran alongside a deep-looking gorge. Since we couldn't really just leave the bodies lying in plain site, we dumped them down into the gorge and then started back to the inn.

Lloyd practically flew out of his seat in alarm when we entered the inn. He and Genis sat in chairs with papers all around them. I assumed it was homework that Raine had given them. However, all intentions of homework were thrown aside when he saw me walk in with a still freely bleeding stomach.

"_What the hell happened?"_ Lloyd bellowed.

"We were attacked by Desians," I managed. The tightness in my chest felt as though someone had knocked the wind out of me. Whether it was from the wound, or letting that Desian get away, I didn't know.

Genis' eyes grew to an alarming size. "_What?"_

Colette nodded. "On the way to the store. Aurelia managed to defeat two of them, but the other one got away. She got that nasty wound in the process."

"Is she okay?" Lloyd asked frantically.

I looked at him with a blank expression. "Get Raine," was all I said.

He nodded quickly and ran from the room, returning only moments later with a very concerned professor.

"Lay down on that couch," she instructed immediately.

I nodded and hobbled over to the sofa, collapsing into it once I got there. There were few people in this main lobby of the inn, but those who were there- such as the woman working the counter and a young couple that were checking in- looked over at the scene with confusion and alarm.

"It's alright," Colette assured them. "My friend here was just fighting monsters outside of town and managed to let one get the better of her. She'll be fine, there's nothing to see here."

The woman at the counter smiled. "If you say so, Chosen One. I'll have one of the maids prepare a hot bath for her right away."

"Thank you very much!"

Raine knelt beside me, staff in hand. She waited until the bystanders had left the room before whispering, "So what exactly were these Desians after?" The tip of her staff glowed white-blue as she held it over my wounds."

"They answered to some woman named Olivia," I replied, at which she shushed me and looked at Colette. Apparently I wasn't allowed to talk while injured.

Colette nodded. "Yup, it's true. They said that they'd finally managed to track me down, and that this 'Lady Olivia' would be interested to know who I was travelling with. I didn't really understand what they meant."

"I've never heard of an 'Olivia'," Raine said with a frown. "She isn't a Grand Cardinal, that's for sure. But still, she must be someone important if she can command her own soldiers."

"One of the Desians got away," I said bitterly. "He'll probably go inform her of everything he saw."

"But who is Colette travelling with that's so interesting?" asked Genis. "That's the part that's confusing me."

I gave a shrug, or at least, tried to. The motion sent pain coursing through my body.

"Stay still," Raine commanded sternly. "It's a big wound; it could very well reopen again."

At that moment, Kratos walked through the door with a bag slung over his shoulder. His eyes grazed over everyone before finally resting on me.

"What happened?" he asked, setting the bag down on the floor.

"Desians," I spat out. "Where were you?"

"I realized you didn't bother to ask which supplies were needed so I went to find you. It would seem that we took separate paths. How many Desians were there?"

"Three," Colette replied. "Aurelia killed two, but one got away. She's pretty bitter about it.

He raised an eyebrow and I suppressed a groan. Leave it to Colette to sound unintentionally cheery about my misery.

"Of course I'm bitter," I said. "They know exactly where we are now. And even if _we_ didn't know what they were talking about, they did, and that knowledge is obviously important to them."

Her face fell. "Oh. I didn't think about it like that."

"Well, there's no sense worrying about it now," said Raine. She stood up tall and stretched her arms out. "We'll deal with the problem when it arises. For now, you should go and take that bath the maids are preparing for you, Aurelia. I'll try to see if I can find something else for you to wear, since that dress of yours has clearly seen better days."

Despite everything else, I still felt a bit sad that I'd have to discard this dress. I really did love it.

So with that, Raine went off in search of clothes for me, and Colette helped me up off of the couch so that we could find that bath of mine. Ick, with all of the blood I was covered in, a bath actually sounded good right about now.

One of the maids met us on our way down the hallway and led us towards the room containing my bath. Colette said she'd go find Raine and bring my clothes back to me, and disappeared.

"You're a right bloody mess, aren't you?" the maid asked, grimacing as I slipped out of my dress and she got the full effect of the wound.

I stared down at it myself. It was a large, ugly, bloody, gash that Raine had only _just_ managed to close, which stretched across the length of my stomach. Had that Desian sliced across and I'd been too in shock to notice? Either way, she'd probably end up having to do some more work on it tomorrow, but right now, all that was important was washing the excess blood away so I could see how bad it actually was.

"I suppose I am," I mumbled. I cast a sheepish smile her way.

"Well, that's not a problem. That's what the bath is for, right? Now then, it should be good and warm now, but if you need me to add more hot water, just ring this bell here that I'm gonna leave with you and I'll get right on that."

"I will, thanks," I said politely. I waited until she left and closed the door behind her before I shed the rest of my clothes and slipped into the tub.

It, thankfully, wasn't too hot. The water must have cooled a bit, which I was glad for because it was _just_ warm enough so that it didn't irritate my wound. I gave a contented sigh and rested my head against the tub's edge.

My content soon faded, however, because now that I was alone with my own thoughts, all relaxed like this, it gave me a chance to fully focus on the one thought that was plaguing my mind.

I'd let that Desian get away. He knew the one secret that would turn this group against me, and I'd let him get away. I was so angry at myself, and yet, I didn't really know why. I'd made up my mind to turn my back on the Desians, so surely I knew that they'd find out. However, I'd never really stopped to consider the fact that if they knew who I was and what I was doing, then none of them would hesitate even for a second to give it away to the others. It hadn't occurred to me, at least not in the way it had just now.

All of those threads that I'd woven carefully into place to keep my identity a secret were now in peril of unraveling, just because I'd let one pesky loose thread be tugged out of place. This was just perfect.

I stared down at the water in contemplation. Life had gotten so complicated, so quickly. Never had I imagined that I'd be wrenched from the safety of my home and end up travelling across Sylvarant with the Chosen of Mana, keeping all kinds of secrets from people I considered to be my friends. I thought I'd always be safe. Never have to worry about keeping tangled webs intact. And now…

I simply lay in the tub for quite a while. The water cooled until it got cold, but I didn't bother ringing the bell. The cold water actually worked better to soothe the pain radiating from my cut. Now that all the blood had washed away (it had turned the bath water a slight pink color, to my disgust), I saw a much cleaner gash that was still kind of fresh, but it at least wasn't bleeding anymore.

There came a light rap on the door.

I shifted slightly in the water. "Yes?"

"It's Raine," came the muffled reply. "I brought you some new clothes."

"Just a second!" I called. I lifted myself out of the tub and patted myself down with a nearby towel before wrapping it around myself. I quickly arranged my damp hair so that it covered my ears. "Alright, come in!"

She slipped through the doorway with a pile of folded clothes. "The innkeeper told me that a traveler left these behind some time ago. They should be about your size."

"Thanks." I accepted the clothes from her and paused a moment. I felt my face redden. "Um, Raine? Would you mind turning around for a moment?"

She stared at me blankly before processing my request. "Oh, certainly." She turned around and faced the wall.

"Sorry, I'm self-conscious about my body," I told her sheepishly as I pulled on my undergarments. "I hope you understand. Okay, turn around."

She turned back as I was laying the clothes out in front of me. "It's quite alright," she said with a slight chuckle.

"Hmm…" I examined this new outfit. It actually wasn't too bad. It consisted of a rather plain, deep blue dress, with a neck that was oddly cut so that it revealed a black, lacey camisole underneath. This was paired with a pair of knee-length, dark brown shorts and black, shin-length boots with blue laces. My black gauntlets were still in pretty good shape, so I gathered them up and placed them with the rest of the outfit, along with my still salvageable belt. All in all, I would say the outfit was acceptable.

I turned to Raine. "Did you happen to bring a nightgown for me?"

She looked puzzled. "What have you been wearing all this time?"

"My regular dress," I said kind of gloomily. "Do you think you could find one for me?"

She accepted this challenge and left the room.

It was kind of awkward, just standing there in my undergarments. So I was thankful when I saw the doorknob turn with Raine's return.

However, it _wasn't _Raine, but in fact Lloyd who came barreling through the door. He skidded to a halt when he saw me there.

Surprisingly, it took a couple long moments for pandemonium to ensue. We just kind of stood there staring at each other before the situation sunk in. I let out a huge scream and Lloyd's eyes grew even wider, his face reddening to almost match his jacket.

"_LLOYD!"_ I screeched, grabbing at a nearby towel to cover myself.

"I'M SO SORRY!" He covered his eyes and tried to run out, but ended up running into the doorframe. "WRONG ROOM. _REALLY_ WRONG ROOM!"

"_I'll say!"_ I was partially naked, and he wasn't leaving, and it was just really, _really _awkward. "Where the _hell _were you trying to go?"

"My room! It's this room on the _next_ floor!" He finally succeeded in fleeing the room, nearly plowing Raine over in the process.

"And just _what, _may I ask, was he doing in here? Do I have to administer punishment?"

I shook my head, too mortified to say anything except for, "Wrong room." It came out muffled due to my head being buried in my hands. I held one hand out and accepted the nightgown, promptly pulling it over my head.

"Don't worry about it," she said through barely suppressed laughter. "I can assure you that he feels horrible about it."

I nodded and, collecting my clothes, hurried out of the room.

The staircase was in the main lobby, so I, unfortunately, was forced to face Lloyd, who was just saying good night to everyone. We locked eyes.

"Aurelia, you look angry," Genis commented with a hint of amusement.

My embarrassment switched back to anger. "You _told _him?" I exclaimed.

Lloyd flinched. "I-I'm sorry! Really, I am!"

"What happened?" Colette asked, clueless.

"Lloyd likes to enter rooms without knocking," I said coldly.

"Huh?"

"I _thought_ it was _my_ room!" he insisted.

"But you got a nice little surprise instead, hmm?" I fired back at him.

"Lloyd was being a Peeping Tom," Genis snickered.

"No I wasn't!" Lloyd said desperately. "I swear it was an accident!"

Colette frowned. "Lloyd, how could you?"

"But it wasn't- I didn't-!"

"Keep telling yourself that," I snapped, hugging my bundle of clothes closer to me. "I'm going to bed. Good-night." I stomped up the stairs, muttering and cursing. I could hear Lloyd shouting apologies at me, but I ignored them. I needed at _least_ until the morning to cool off. Then maybe I'd have less trouble forgiving him.

And besides, this anger and embarrassment was a good distraction. It was almost enough to get my mind off of everything else.

Almost.

* * *

**Oh snap. It looks like Lloyd obtained his Peeping Tom title early XD**

**Sorry this chapter did little to progress their journey, aside from getting them from Thoda to Asgard. Next chapter, some wind stuff!**

**Please review, or else you'll never see the girl again O.o  
*dramatic music as the scene fades out...*  
**


	12. Properly Welcomed to the City of Ruins

**Hello everyone! ^_^**

**So, back to the plot with this chapter! I just couldn't seem to make it long enough (oh god. That is _definitely_ what she said). Anyways, I hope you all enjoy it anyways!**

**Grr there's a part I've had planned for pretty much a million years, and yet I just can't seem to make up my mind on where to fit it in. I've changed it three times already. Gah, once the part _does_ happen, I'll let you know that's the one I was talking about here XD  
Trust me. This mystery part is quite important haha**

**Also, my cat won't stop meowing at me and I don't. Know. What. He. Wants. O_O'**

* * *

It had been a while since I'd slept in a bed this comfortable. With the trips between the ranch, Thoda, and Hakonesia Peak, we'd done a lot of sleeping on the ground, as the House of Salvation was just too out of the way. It felt nice to get a good night's rest for once.

So nice, in fact, that I happened to sleep in. By the time I awoke, bright sunlight was peeking through the cracks of the closed curtains, and I could just tell by that groggy feeling I had that I'd been asleep for a while.

Groaning, I practically rolled out of bed and changed into my new clothes. It felt weird not to have my original dress. I'd grown so used to it. Maybe I'd have to look later today in one of the shops here for something like it.

I noticed as I changed that the cut had thinned into something of a scar, although it was still angry and red. It felt a bit tender, but mostly the pain was a sort of stiffness that I felt through my whole body.

Even _Lloyd_ was awake by the time I got downstairs, so I knew that I _really_ must have slept in. Of course, it was him who was first to approach me.

"Good morning, Aurelia!" he said brightly, bearing the hugest grin he could manage. He held out a plate piled with eggs. "I saved you breakfast! It's still warm and everything!"

I gave him a dead stare. "Thanks." I accepted the plate and promptly walked past him to sit in one of the chairs surrounding a nearby table. I could hear his scrambling footsteps close behind me.

"How are you feeling this morning?" Raine asked me as I sat down. She was busy sifting through a multitude of papers.

"Better," I replied around a mouthful of eggs. "I'm just kind of sore."

She nodded. "That's understandable. It was quite the wound. Don't push yourself too much today, alright?"

I nodded as I took another bite.

"Those new clothes look pretty good on you, Aurelia!" Lloyd piped up nervously.

"Thanks. But, I bet you think they'd look better _off _of me, right?" I retorted.

"Look, I _said_ I was-!"

I laughed, catching him completely off guard. "Relax, Lloyd. I understand it was an accident. You're…partially forgiven."

"Really? Thanks Aure-!" He cut off. "Wait a sec. _Partially?"_

I smirked. "Yes, partially. Apology or not, you still walked in on me without clothes on. That's the kind of thing I'm not going to soon forget. Just keep that in mind when you're sleeping at night."

He paled. "W-What…?"

I let out another laugh and stood up, stuffing the last of my breakfast into my mouth. I pushed the plate towards Lloyd. "Here you go. Be a dear and take care of these dishes for me, will you?"

"Y-Yes ma'am…" he muttered.

Once she managed to get everyone gathered in one place, Raine made the announcement that we were going to visit the famous Asgard Ruins.

"Um, Raine, aren't we supposed to be looking for clues?" Genis reminded her.

She nodded. "Yes, of course! And what better place to find clues about an ancient seal than to examine this great historic monument?"

We all exchanged something of a wary look.

When we all arrived at the ruins, we found that it wasn't so much of a monument, but more of a dais. We had to climb a long set of stairs that ended in a stone arch to reach the summit of the hill, which held the large stone platform with a statue of a dancer on each corner.

"The Asgard Ruins!" Raine gushed. She took several long minutes to ramble about the magnificence of the architecture and the significance it held for the city before turning to Lloyd, who clearly wasn't paying any attention.

"Lloyd, state the historical background of this ruin."

Lloyd's expression was even blanker than it had been before. "Ah, um, well, let's see…" He looked like he was thinking long and hard about it.

Genis sighed patiently. "It's the temple where Cleo III held a ritual to offer a sacrifice to the Summon Spirit of Wind in order to quell a storm that had raged for a week."

"…that's it."

Raine threw her hands up in frustration. "Gah! Have you learned anything at _all_ these past five years?"

"Of course," he said defensively. "Um, PE, and Art, and-"

"Never mind!" she exclaimed. She instead returned to admiring the ruin. "What perfect form! This delicate curve is said to express the flight of the Summon Spirit of Wind through the sky. In addition…"

I started to drown her out. Lloyd and I exchanged a similar glance and we casually slipped away from the lecture.

"Let's check out the back of this thing!" Lloyd suggested.

"_Lloyd,"_ I said with mock shock. "What is this? Trying to get me out of these clothes of mine again?"

He glared. "You know, you make it really hard for me to be sorry."

"Aw, that's too bad," I joked. I made my voice more serious. "Anyways, yes I'm all for that idea. It'll be a good way to escape Raine's lecture."

He nodded solemnly and we both continued to inch away from Raine and her rambling, each of us going around either side to the back of the platform.

I skidded to a halt when I saw the two people. The first was a young man with dark hair, who eyed the other boy nervously. It was this other boy who caught my attention, because he was undeniably half-elf. I could just tell from the mana radiating off of him, plus by the uncommonly vibrant hair color that escaped from the white bandana he wore. I tried not to gasp, but it was hard because it just shocked me so much. Aside from Genis and Raine, he was the first half-elf I'd seen on this journey who wasn't a Desian. I mean sure, I knew that there were half-elves in Sylvarant who _weren't_ Desians, but even so, they would no doubt endure torment and discrimination for sharing the same blood as Desians.

_That's why Raine and Genis hide it_, I realized. _To avoid all of that hate_.

"Listen, Linar!"

The sound of the half-elf boy yelling at the meek human, Linar, snapped me out of my realization.

"This is my invention, 'the breaker'," the half-elf went on.

"Y-You've told me already…" Linar pointed out.

"Yeah, well I'm telling you again," he said impatiently. "Anyways, if we use this bomb, we can easily destroy this confounded dais."

My eyes widened in alarm. _Bomb?_

"B-But Harley…this is a rare remnant of the Balacruf Dynasty. We can't destroy it…" He tensed up, no doubt waiting for an outburst from this "Harley". Which he got.

"What are you talking about? As things stand now, Aisha may be killed! And I sure as hell am _not_ going to let that happen! How can you even say that? She's your sister!"

"Yeah but-"

He cut off as Lloyd cleared his throat loudly. The two jumped in alarm at the sight of Lloyd and me approaching on either side of them.

"What are you doing?" Lloyd asked suspiciously.

"W-Who are you?" Harley snapped at him.

"It's not what you think!" Linar blurted. "We weren't trying to destroy the ruin at all!" As soon as he'd said it he clapped a hand over his mouth.

And then, from across the stone dais, we heard Raine give an incoherent scream. It didn't matter what she'd screamed; all that mattered was that she'd heard Linar, and she was _furious._ She jumped up and ran across the dais so that she towered over all four of us.

"What did you just say?"

Linar and Harley gazed up at her in fear. I think I probably had a little fear in my eyes too.

Lloyd pointed an accusing finger at the two. "Professor, these two guys said that they're planning to destroy the stage."

The spark of fury I'd seen in her indigo eyes flared into a full-fledged inferno. "_And you call yourselves human beings?"_ She hopped down off of the stage, to my complete surprise, reared her leg back and kicked Harley right in the stomach. He fell to the ground with a surprised grunt of pain, and Linar soon lay beside him.

I stared at her. I had _never_ seen her Ruin Mode this bad, and judging by the look on Lloyd's face, neither had he.

Harley struggled into a sitting position. "I am a half-elf," he spat.

"What's that got to do with anything?" she snapped at him. He recoiled slightly and she turned her disgust-filled gaze on the bomb. "You have no idea of the importance of this ruin!" In her rage, she booted the bomb. There was a sort of click as _something_ seemed to be pressed into place. I had one guess on what she'd just done.

"Uh-oh…" we all seemed to say at the same time.

Raine didn't notice. She just continued to rage on. "You say you're going to destroy this ruin? Now listen. During the final era of the Balacruf Dynasty, this ruin was-"

"P-Professor," Lloyd interrupted nervously.

"Not now, Lloyd. Anyway, where was I? Ah yes. So, as I was saying, this ruin served as a-"

"Raine!" I exclaimed.

She cut off in annoyance. "What? If you have questions, I'll take them after the lecture."

"The bomb turned on," Lloyd stated before she could start up again.

"I _said,_ if you have questions, I'll take them after-" She cut off, her eyes growing wide as Lloyd's words registered in her mind. She shot a quick, surprised glance towards the bomb. "…what?"

"The bomb…" I stammered. "I-It turned on."

Harley jumped to his feet. "Woman! You flipped the switch!"

She whirled on him and kicked him back down to the ground. "Don't try to put the blame on someone else! _You_ built this device, did you not?"

"That doesn't matter now!" Lloyd barked. He turned to Harley, who was struggling to his feet once more. "Is there a disarm switch?"

He succeeded in standing up and puffed his chest out proudly. "Of course not!"

His standing privileges were short-lived, however, because Raine kicked him back down again.

"_Quit doing that_!"

"_Then don't act like you're proud of it!_"

"What's going on back there?" Colette called.

"Nothing!" Lloyd called back. "Raine's just dealing with some punks! Stay up there please!"

"But-!"

"It's fine, Colette! We'll be right over!" He whirled around to face Harley. "Alright, now are you _sure_ that there's no way to stop this thing?"

"Positive."

Lloyd grimaced. "Great. Well, I guess that means I'll have to disarm it myself."

"Lloyd! What if you set it off by accident?" I asked worriedly.

He shrugged as he started his work on the bomb. "Ah well. It's would be going off anyway, right? Just shut-up and let me do this."

I narrowed my eyes at him, but remained silent all the same as he worked to disarm the thing. It took about ten minutes, but he finally sat back and breathed a sigh of relief.

"There. The bomb is disarmed."

"Hey, you know what? You're pretty cool to be able to stop the uncontrollable 'breaker'…" Harley looked torn on whether he should be admiring of Lloyd's skills or angry that his supposedly unstoppable invention had been thwarted.

"Don't go building stuff you can't control!" Lloyd said exasperatedly.

Raine looked immensely relieved. "The ruin seems to be unharmed."

"What about us?" I murmured. That bomb could have easily blown up in our faces.

"You there!"

We all froze at the authoritative voice. It came from near the entrance, and it seemed to be addressing Colette and the others.

"Y-Yes?" Colette asked sweetly.

"Trespassing in this area is forbidden!"

Forbidden…? But the gate had been left wide open! If it had really been forbidden, shouldn't they have made access to this area more…oh.

I looked at Linar and Harley. Wow, so first they sneak into an off-limits area, intent on destroying the ruin, and _then_ they forget to close the gate behind them so that no one suspects anything? These two had some real brains. Well, Linar seemed to anyway. He looked like he was against this whole thing. Harley was probably the "mastermind" behind it all.

"Oh no, it's the mayor!" Linar hissed.

"_Run!"_ Harley whispered. He grabbed his defused bomb and he and Linar took off down a hidden path.

"Oh I'm so sorry," I heard Colette say. "My professor was just really interested in seeing these ruins. It's the whole reason we came to this city. We had no idea this area was off-limits. We promise we'll leave right away."

"You better," the mayor huffed, and as I peeked over the top of the dais, I saw him retreat down the stairs.

"We should probably leave before we get in trouble," I noted once we'd joined with the others.

"What even happened over there?" asked Genis.

"We'll explain once we get outta here," Lloyd replied. "Come on, let's go."

Raine gazed longingly at the ruin. "But, I haven't had time to study the structure of the-"

"Just come on!" Lloyd said impatiently.

She sighed. "But I wanted to study it more…"

Lloyd and Genis practically had to drag her away from the dais and we all headed back down the stairs.

"Okay, so _what_ happened?" Genis asked again once we were a safe enough distance away.

"There were these two guys trying to destroy the ruin with some weird bomb thing," Lloyd explained.

Colette's eyes grew wide. "What? But why would they possibly want to do something like that?"

"Precisely!" said Raine. She pounded a fist into the palm of her hand. "We have to stop them from engaging in such foolish acts like trying to destroy a ruin!"

"I don't think that's even close to what she said…" Genis muttered.

"Still, I would like to know what they were trying to accomplish," I said thoughtfully. "From their conversation, it almost sounded like someone was in danger."

"Then let's go find them and figure out what's going on!" Colette suggested happily. "We may be able to help!"

"The choice is yours, Chosen One," said Kratos, although I could tell he thought that this was irrelevant to the journey.

"Their names were Linar and Harley, I think," I said. "Should we ask around to see where we could find them?"

Raine nodded enthusiastically. "I think that's a splendid idea! They mustn't be allowed to get away with attempting to commit such heinous acts."

"We don't need to ask," Lloyd commented, "because I can see them. They're headed that way." He pointed a finger. My eyes followed that direction and saw Linar and Harley just round the corner.

"After them!" Raine shouted. "Justice will be served!"

"She needs to relax," I said under my breath. There was no way she could have heard me because she had already begun her chase after them.

"Raine!" said Genis, mortified.

"We better follow her to make sure she doesn't do anything too drastic," Kratos sighed.

The next area was mostly a residential area, and we found Raine pounding on one of the doors furiously.

The door opened to reveal a very pissed-looking Harley. "Whaaaat?" His face fell blank when he saw Raine. "Oh."

She pushed past him inside. "Did you think you were just going to get away with this?"

Genis looked even _more_ embarrassed, if possible. "Raaaaaine!" He followed her into the house, the rest of us close behind.

"You're those tourists," Harley said coldly.

"I am a scholar!" she corrected, almost looking offended that he could have possibly mistaken her for anything else.

"Whatever, get out!"

"Harley, stop it."

The voice had come from a beautiful girl with the same dark hair as Linar. In fact, seeing them stand right next to each other, I decided that they almost _had_ to be brother and sister.

"This is my house," she continued angrily, which caused him to deflate a bit. She turned to us. "I understand that you were the ones who stopped Harley and my brother. Thank-you; my name is Aisha."

"I'm not sure 'stopped' is the best way to put it," Kratos commented drily.

"They got in our way," Harley mumbled.

"It doesn't matter what you call it!" she scolded him. "The point is, the people of this city are the ones who would suffer if that ruin was destroyed!"

"But Aisha, as things are now, you're going to be sacrificed!"

"'Sacrificed'?" Lloyd repeated confusedly. "Why? What's going on?"

"It's a ritual in honor of the Summon Spirit of Wind," Linar explained quietly. "Aisha was chosen for it. Originally, the ritual consisted of just dancing on the stone platform. But-"

Harley interrupted him. "This _idiot_ started meddling with the stone dais as part of his research and opened the seal."

Everyone sort of tensed at that. The seal? Could that be…?

"Because of that, that Summon Spirit of Wind thing woke up and started demanding sacrifices."

"The seal?" Raine mused. "Do you mean…?"

"What? The seal?" Colette exclaimed in excitement.

"Yes!" Linar appeared to share her enthusiasm. "If you, too, are researching the Balacruf ruins, then you must be aware of the altar erected in praise of the Summon Spirit of Wind. The seal really existed, just as the legend said!"

Wait a minute…

Raine was currently busy slipping into Ruin Mode. "Are you saying that the Balacruf Pillar hieroglyphics are not just a myth?"

Colette's face fell flat. "Huh?"

Lloyd slapped his forehead. "It looks like this isn't the seal we're looking for.

"Raine," Genis sighed, "aren't you forgetting why we're on this journey?"

"Well, it's all right…" said Kratos, throwing me completely off guard. "It's not as if it's completely out of our way." Either he was gaining a knack for helping people, or he didn't want to have to face Raine's wrath. Or maybe it was something else. I didn't have much time to dwell on it either way, because the ruin talk was continuing.

"Yes!" Linar said again in response to Raine's question. "In the back of the platform there's a small indentation, and-!"

"That's enough!" Harley shouted, scaring Linar into silence. "Aisha's about to be sacrificed to the Summon Spirit tonight! Now get out of here!"

Aisha gave us a sad look. "I really am sorry, but perhaps it would be best if you left. There's not much you can do."

"O-Okay," I said. "We um…I hope…" I trailed off. There really wasn't anything I could say to her. I ducked my head. "Bye."

We left the house without anyone speaking another word.

"What can we do?" Colette wondered as we headed back to the inn.

"Not much," Lloyd replied dismally. "If that Aisha girl doesn't get sacrificed, then that Spirit thing will probably go after the town."

"But there must be _something!"_ she protested.

I shook my head. "I'm just as frustrated about this as you are, Colette, but Lloyd's right. I really don't see what we could do without making the situation worse.

She nodded sadly and kept walking.

An older man, whom I assumed was the mayor, stood near the gateway to the stone dais, which was now locked up tight. A guard stood on either side of him.

"If only we could get near the dais again," said Raine longingly. "Perhaps then I could obtain more knowledge as to what is happening here."

"That _would_ be helpful," Genis agreed, but his sister wasn't listening. She was already on her way to harass- erm, I mean _speak to_- the mayor.

"You're the ones who went up on the dais," he recalled suspiciously as we approached him.

"I am a scholar," Raine declared, as though it were some prestigious title. "May I please have your permission to study this ruin?"

He scowled at her, completely unimpressed. "There's an idiot just like you in the city already. Thanks to him, the city's tourism industry is on the verge of collapsing. I refuse."

"Are you talking about Linar?" Raine questioned. "Because we already got the gist of the story from him. Something about a sacrifice, correct?"

"If you already know so much, then you should understand!" the mayor snapped. "We can't allow anyone to disturb the dais any further and risk bringing down the wrath of the Summon Spirit of Wind. The only one who may step up upon this stage is the Summon Spirit dancer."

My mind was working furiously as he spoke. This whole vengeful Summon Spirit story…it just didn't add up to me. I didn't know what it was, but something just seemed off about the whole thing. Something that Colette had read from the Book of Regeneration nagged at my thoughts, but I couldn't fully grasp it…

Raine's shocking offer jolted me out of my thoughts.

"Then I shall become the dancer."

The mayor blinked. "What…?"

"Then it would be fine for me to go up on the stage, yes?" she reasoned.

"Professor!" Lloyd exclaimed.

Raine turned to him and lowered her voice a bit. "According to the Book of Regeneration, this should be the next seal. If we can meet the Summon Spirit, we should be able to tell. The sacrifice that the Summon Spirit seeks may even be the Chosen of Mana."

"I see…" Colette said thoughtfully. She smiled broadly. "That's our Professor!"

"You just want to study the ruin firsthand," Lloyd commented, earning a slap across the back of the head from Raine.

Genis snickered. "You should learn to keep your mouth shut, Lloyd."

Ignoring the two boys, Raine turned back to the mayor. "Please, Mayor."

"…do as you wish," he said finally. "I won't be held responsible if it costs you your life, though. I hope you realize what you're doing."

"Of course I do," she replied.

"Well then, you should go speak with Aisha. She shall prepare you for the ritual."

Incidentally, Aisha was _not_ very happy about the arrangement when we returned to her house and informed her of what had happened.

"What? No!" she said in shock. "I cannot allow you to-"

"Of course you can!" Harley interrupted. "If this woman is willing to take your place then let her! Beats having you die, anyway."

Genis glared at him. "That's not what it's about at _all_, you moronic-!"

Kratos cut him off. "She wishes to get a closer look at this Summon Spirit of yours. If her plan goes well, then no one will have to be sacrificed."

"Raine has a plan?" I whispered to him.

"Let us hope."

"Still," Aisha was saying. "It's not right for you to have to take my place. The burden has been placed on me to-"

"There's nothing to worry about," Raine assured her. "I simply need you to prepare me for the ritual, if you don't mind."

"Raine, are you sure you're going to be okay?" Genis asked his big sister worriedly.

She lowered her voice so that only we might be able to hear her. "Make preparations. Just in case."

I got what she meant and gulped. We might have to fight this thing…

"If you are really certain," Aisha said reluctantly. She turned to us. "If you are attending, then meet back at the stone dais when the sun begins to set. For now, we have preparations to make."

That would be fine. Apparently, so did we.

* * *

Once sunset came around, the remainder of the group gathered at the dais just as we'd promised. There was a good amount of citizens there too, but not as many as I might have expected. After all, who wants to see one of your own getting sacrificed? Who wants to see _anyone_ getting sacrificed, for that matter?

Raine stood in the center of the stage, having changed into the proper acolyte clothing. Her staff was gripped tightly in her hand, but other than that, she showed no signs of nervousness. She simply stood calmly, waiting for the cue to begin.

Finally, as the sun dropped fully below the horizon, Aisha nodded and Raine began the "dance".

I couldn't tell you what this dance consisted of. I was too worried to be paying attention to something like that. My eyes scanned the crowd, just _waiting_ for the Summon Spirit to show up and kill Raine or eat her or whatever it was that it planned to do with its sacrifice.

The stage beneath Raine's feet began to glow green, and a strong wind picked up. It swirled and swirled around Raine until the light gave a brilliant flash. When the light and wind cleared, the Summon Spirit floated before her.

I knew instantly it was _wrong._ Summon Spirits weren't supposed to look so…so positively _demonic. _Or feel so evil. First of all, the very fact that its bottom half consisted of a blade reminiscent of a guillotine should have been enough to tip me off without the claws and horns and demonic expression. It gazed down upon Raine with a hungry look in its red eyes, a mini-tornado swirling around its base.

"I have come for the girl," it hissed. I felt an immediate chill run down my spine.

Colette squinted at the thing, and then recognition flashed through her eyes. "It's not…no, Professor! That is an evil creature! It's not the guardian of the seal!"

That's when I remembered. That line from the Book of Regeneration.

"_Enshrined in the center of a giant stone seal lurks evil, impersonating a holy force."_

Casting another glance at the creature before me, I decided that the book had been pretty accurate.

Lloyd was the first to act. He hopped up onto the stage, drawing his swords in the same motion, and proceeded to slash at the beast.

Everyone in the crowd had startled reactions to this. Many people screamed, some ran away- a lot actually did both.

"What are you doing?" the mayor shouted.

I pulled my spear out of my belt and extended it. "This thing isn't really a Summon Spirit. You could say we're ridding you of your problem." Not giving him a chance to respond, I followed Lloyd up onto the stage.

"Give me the girl," it repeated, knocking Lloyd aside with its tail.

I looked over my shoulder. "Colette, I think he wants you."

Now that everyone had run away, including the mayor, she deemed it safe to use her wings. They unfurled from her back and she lifted into the air. Her chakrams sailed forth and sliced at its arms

Furious now, the beast swatted the discs away. It let out an incoherent roar and lunged at Raine. She managed to block the majority of its attacks with her staff, but ran back the first chance she got.

Kratos ran up behind it and unleashed a series of attacks. The creature did a sort of front flip, and as its tail rose up over its head it sliced at Kratos. He held his shield out to block it.

Colette flew near it again. "_Pow Hammer!" _Toy hammers rained from the sky and hit it on the head. They didn't look like they could cause that much pain, but they _did_ seem to momentarily stun the creature. I took this opportunity to perform Predator.

My feet hit the ground and I pulled out my spear and ran back, just as it rose to the air in a series of wild flips that would have assured I was sliced in half by that guillotine. Immediately after, it began casting a spell, which turned out to be Wind Blade. The attack mostly only hit Lloyd, Kratos and I with biting winds that opened several cuts in my arms and legs. One even managed to graze my cheek.

Genis countered this with his own spell. _"Stalagmite!"_ Great pillars of rock shot up and pummeled the creature, leaving it stunned again. However, it didn't last as long this time around, so Lloyd and Kratos only managed to get in a few hits before it started wildly attacking again.  
While it was busy with them, I ran up behind it with my spear and…

"_Drill Strike!" _I felt my spear spin rapidly in my hands as it drilled into the creature's back. Once it was in there deeply enough I wrenched it free.

The creature howled and knocked me back with its guillotine tail. And guess where the blade had struck? That's right. It had just conveniently reopened the scar on my stomach. I let out an involuntary cry of pain. Thankfully, Raine was quick on healing me, so it didn't have a chance to bleed all over my new clothes that much.

…was that _seriously _what I was worrying about right now?

When I staggered to my feet, Lloyd and Kratos had just finished a joint combo that had ended in Lloyd's Tigerblade. This seemed to do the trick because in an explosion of wind and green mana, the creature vanished. Its dying cry still echoed several long seconds after it had disappeared.

There was a long, heavy silence. I think everyone was just waiting for that creature to come back. When it didn't, the few people who _had_ remained (which pretty much only consisted of Linar, Aisha and Harley) all approached the stage once more.

"You actually _did_ it…" Harley said in utter disbelief as we made our way off of the stage.

"Fantastic!" Linar cheered. "You're fantastic, Raine!"

"And here I was thinking he meant _our_ fighting," Lloyd muttered.

"Hah, it was hardly a challenging opponent," Raine said dismissively. "Now, more importantly, about that stone tablet you acquired. When I examined it earlier, it appeared to have ancient Balacruf writing inscribed on it."

"Then let's decipher it right away!" he suggested excitedly. "I have the necessary materials assembled in my house."

"Yes, let's go!" The two hurried away. It would seem that with the possibility of ancient artifacts, the fact that I was very likely internally bleeding didn't seem to be of that much importance.

"Um…thank you very much," Aisha spoke up shyly.

Lloyd nodded. "Not at all! We couldn't just let you be sacrificed to that thing."

Harley eyed the stage, which had been left surprisingly unscathed from our battle. "That thing wasn't the Summon Spirit of Wind after all, was it?"

"Definitely not," Colette replied.

"I bet Raine and Linar will investigate what it really was," said Genis.

"Yeah," Harley agreed, "that Raine _is_ a half-elf, after all. You can count on her wisdom."

Genis froze and a confused silence settled over the rest of the group. Right, since Harley was a half-elf himself, he could no doubt read the siblings' mana in some way. Of course he would know. I felt my own pulse quicken a bit.

"N-No, you're wrong!" Genis stammered. "Raine is an elf. I'm an elf too!

Harley gave him a quizzical look. "What? Surely you don't think I'd mistake my own…" He trailed off when he saw Genis stare dejectedly at his feet. He'd no doubt accepted that it was inevitable that the secret of his blood was about to be revealed.

"Ah, actually, I guess I was wrong," he finished. "It seems you two _are_ pure-blooded elves. I must not have been paying attention." He gave a sheepish laugh.

Genis smiled timidly, likely eternally grateful that Harley hadn't ratted him out.

Lloyd shook his head in confusion at the exchange. "Ah, anyways, should we head back to the inn, or…?"

"Knowing the Professor, she'll probably be a while, right?" said Colette.

"This is true," Kratos agreed. "We'll head back to the inn for now and discuss things in the morning. It's gotten late."

"Then you all can meet at my house in the morning," said Aisha. She turned to Harley. "Come on, let's go." The pair left down the staircase.

Harley's eyes locked with mine for a moment as he passed. He paused, staring thoughtfully at my face.

My heartbeat instantly went haywire. _This is it,_ I thought wildly. _He knows. I don't know how Raine and Genis couldn't tell, but he definitely does. He's going to tell, he's going to tell, he's going to-_

"You've got a cut on your face," he said finally.

I blinked. "What?"

He pointed to my cheek. "It's bleeding. Just thought I'd let you know."

"Um, thank-you…" Relief flooded throughout my entire being. I was safe, he couldn't tell. For some reason, I didn't have the mana of a half-elf.

But that raised another important question: why _didn't_ I have the mana of a half-elf? Dammit. I hadn't even been thinking about that for a while. Now that I was, it seemed a lot stranger than I'd previously thought. Just another question added to the vault. I didn't know how much more of this I could take. Forget mysterious. At this point? All of these so-called "mysteries" were just starting to get annoying.

* * *

We were all pretty tired when we returned to the inn, so we had a quick supper and retreated to our rooms quietly.

"Today certainly was eventful," Colette chirped. Of course _she_ wasn't tired. She didn't even have the _ability_ to sleep.

"Certainly was," I murmured absently.

"I hope that the Professor gets some useful information from that tablet," she went on.

"Me too."

She looked over at me. "Is something wrong? You look sort of…troubled."

"'Troubled'?" I repeated. "Hmm, no, not me. I'm probably just tired." Oh, the lies I tell.

"That makes sense. After all, today really was…"

"Eventful?" I supplied sarcastically.

She giggled. "Yes. That." She laughed over it for a moment before turning thoughtful. The crease in her forehead was barely visible, but it was there.

"Now _you're_ the one who looks troubled," I noted. "What is it?"

"Huh? Oh, nothing. I'm just thinking…" She thought another moment before saying, "Aurelia, what do you think is going to happen to me? At the next seal, I mean. I'm just wondering, I'm not worried or anything…"

Why is it that the happiest person in this group was always the one who seemed to make me sad? She might not have been showing it, and she may have been trying her best to hide it, but I could easily tell that somewhere deep down, she was scared. She was just too strong of a person to show it.

"That's kind of out of nowhere," I began. "Um, I can't say what I think. This whole process is just rather unpredictable, if you ask me."

"I see…"

"Colette…" I took a long pause before speaking again. "Are you sure you don't want to tell-"

"I'm not telling anyone," she said firmly. "I'm sorry, Aurelia, but-"

I held up my hand, cutting her off. "I understand. I was just checking." I stifled a yawn. "Um, anyway, I should probably get to sleep. Some of us actually need it."

It had actually been a weak attempt at lightening the mood, but I soon realized that it was only reminding Colette of what was happening to her. The brief hurt that flashed through her eyes confirmed this.

"I-I'm sorry…" I mumbled. "That was-"

She smiled softly. "N-No, it's fine. I knew what you meant. Get some rest Aurelia."

Too tired to say anything else, I simply nodded and drifted into sleep.

My sleep was so heavy and so dreamless that it seemed like I'd only blinked, and when I'd opened my eyes, it was bright outside and Colette was nowhere to be seen.

"I hope I didn't sleep in again," I muttered to myself as I got out of bed and pulled my clothes on.

When I arrived downstairs, it turned out that Lloyd hadn't awoken yet, so I couldn't have been _that_ late. I looked around the room. I counted Colette, Kratos, Genis, and Raine was…

"Where's Raine?" I asked confusedly.

"She never came back last night," Kratos replied casually.

My eyes widened. "She stayed out _all night_ just to _study?"_

"That's Raine," Genis sighed.

Not long after that Lloyd came trudging down the stairs. He sleepily took in the group, and then his grogginess gave way to confusion.

"It looks like the Professor hasn't come back yet," Colette told him before he could ask.

"Are you serious…?"

"I had the same reaction," I said.

"She's conducting research with Linar," Genis explained.

Lloyd shook his head. "Only _she_ could stay up that long conducting 'research'. Seriously, it's all she ever does!"

"And it's something you _never_ do," he retorted. "Which do you think is worse?"

Lloyd opened his mouth to reply but Kratos cut him off.

"Well then what are we waiting for? Let's go see what they've managed to uncover." Not giving Lloyd a chance to complain further, he strode out the door, probably just assuming that we would follow. Which we did.

As we walked through the town to get to Linar and Aisha's house, there was a noticeable difference in the townspeople we passed. Everyone just seemed so much…lighter. Like this horrible weight had just been lifted. Completely different from the day before, when everyone had been filled with dread over the sacrifice later that night.

Their reactions to us were also different. Before, we were just any other tourists, but now that we'd rid them of their menacing false Summon Spirit, it was like we were suddenly heroes. I mean, I suppose we kind of were, but how could they possibly know it was us? They were the ones who'd all fled in terror, so they wouldn't have even been around to witness the fight.

Anyway, we were being offered praise everywhere we turned. It was nice, but it also made it a little difficult to make it to Aisha's house. I could only imagine how they'd react if they found out that one of their proclaimed heroes was actually the Chosen of Mana. I think that might have started a full-out riot.

_Finally,_ though, we reached Aisha's house.

"Good morning!" Aisha greeted us as she answered the door. "I think they're just about done with the tablet. Come on in!"

We entered and saw Raine sitting a table, scribbling in one of her many notebooks. Linar was reading over her shoulder and nodding thoughtfully. Raine looked up from her work as we approached the table.

"Ah, good timing. I just finished deciphering it."

"The Professor is amazing!" Linar said enthusiastically. "She deciphered the complex Balacruf writing in no time at all!"

"Looks like Raine just gained another fan," Genis snickered.

"She's quite the catch, huh? Lloyd added.

"Uh-huh!"

Raine reached across the table and smacked Genis across the head. Sighing and shaking her head, she turned back to Linar.

"It would appear that the monster was the cause of the calamity that afflicted the ancient Balacruf Empire."

Linar nodded. "Yes, and it seems that the summoner of the time used Sylph, the Summon Spirit of Wind, to seal it away, then built this stone dais to suppress the calamity."

Raine continued, "In preparation for the day when this calamity might reawaken, he left this map in order for people to be able to locate the Summon Spirit of Wind."

"But let me guess," I cut in. "People started to confuse this calamity with the actual Summon Spirit?"

"It would appear so," said Linar.

"So if that's a map," Genis began, "does that mean you now know where the real Summon Spirit of Wind is located?"

"Of course," Raine replied, as though this was her point, crystal-clear the whole time. "The location of the Summon Spirit is the location of the next seal." She held out the stone tablet to show us. The engravings were rather worn away, but the island she pointed to was still visible.

"Wow!" Lloyd said excitedly. "I wonder what the Summon Spirit of Wind is like! I can't wait to see it!"

_There was that enthusiasm again,_ I thought with amusement.

"Now we can finally continue on the world regeneration journey!" Colette said happily.

"'World regeneration'…?" Aisha questioned. "Now that I think about it, what was your purpose for coming to this city? You don't look like ordinary travelers or tourists…"

There was a slight pause where I could almost feel the initial panic spread through the group as we all realized what Colette had let slip. Thankfully though, Kratos was able to keep it from turning into a noticeable silence. In fact, he changed the subject altogether.

"…well then, if you know our next destination, we should be on our way at once."

"Yes, it's likely that the seal is inside the Balacruf Mausoleum," said Raine.

"That sounds like a pretty far trip," I said quickly. "In that case, we should probably go back to the inn and pack up our things. We'll want to leave as soon as possible, right?"

Lloyd caught on to what we were saying. "Okay, then let's get going."

Aisha _must_ have noticed the subject change. It _was_ blatantly obvious. "Ah, um, but…"

"Well, please take care!" Colette addressed the siblings. "I hope we can meet again someday!"

At that moment the door opened and Harley walked in. "Hey guys, what did I miss?"

Aisha stared at Colette for a moment before shaking her head. "Um, Professor Sage and the others are just saying their goodbyes. You're just in time."

"Oh, you guys are leaving so soon?" he asked in surprise.

"Time is of the essence," said Raine. "We really can't delay anymore than necessary. Anyway, now that the calamity has been vanquished, you _won't _be trying to destroy the dais anymore, correct?"

"Raine _will_ know about it if you do," Genis said ominously.

"I don't have any reason to," Harley responded in annoyance. "The thing is gone, Aisha is safe- what do you think I am, some kind of violent-"

"Just don't try anything," Raine said firmly. She turned to Linar. "Keep him in check."

While Harley continued to look offended, we said our final goodbyes to them and headed back to the inn to pack up.

This turned out to be a bit of a task for Lloyd. He had somehow managed to get his things spread across his entire room, so where most of us had our things packed up in the course of ten minutes, it took him a lot longer, so we all sat waiting in the lobby of the inn.

Raine had an actual paper map spread out in front of her. "Okay, so. It should take about three or more days to reach the House of Salvation. We can stop there for the night and continue on to Luin, which will probably take another four days. From there, the Balacruf Mausoleum would probably be about another five days perhaps? Of course, this is all an estimation and only if we don't run into any obstacles of any sort. If Lloyd takes much longer, I would probably have time to work out the exact measurements of the trip."

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" I heard Lloyd yell.

"Is it just me, or does it seem that everything is just getting further and further away from each other?" I piped up.

"This region has more wilderness than the previous," Kratos replied. "So naturally it will take longer to reach places than before. Are you complaining?"

"N-No," I said stubbornly. "I'm just making an observation, that's all."

Finally, Lloyd hurried down the stairs. "Sorry," he breathed. "Now then, where to next?"

As Raine explained how the journey was going to unfold for the next couple weeks, Lloyd's face fell further and further.

"But that's so far!" he protested.

"And _I _was the one who was complaining?" I remarked, looking pointedly at Kratos.

"Complaining? Lloyd was merely making an observation, that's all." The expression on his face could almost be considered smug. If it was anyone besides Kratos, that is.

"You just got burned by Kratos!" Genis said gleefully.

I rolled my eyes. "N-No I didn't. Come on then, aren't we going to get going?"

Genis continued to laugh, but Raine nodded. "Yes, let's be on our way."

We made sure that everyone had all of their belongings before leaving the inn and heading towards the exit in town. As we walked along the gorge, I couldn't help but think of the Desian bodies Colette and I had disposed of in there, and how there was one less than there should have been. I still couldn't stop myself from feeling bitter about it. Who knows? Maybe it would turn out to be nothing and he'd just gotten away.

Things never turn out so lucky though, do they? My bad feeling would no doubt turn out to be right, and general unpleasantness would ensue.

My spirits lifted a bit when we were leaving the city and Noishe came bounding down the road. He assaulted Lloyd's face with a million wet kisses.

"Hey boy!" Lloyd greeted him cheerily. "How have ya been doing?"

Noishe barked in response.

"It's funny how we can just leave him on his own and nothing happens to him," I observed. "And he always comes running back, no matter what."

"That's my Noishe!" Lloyd grinned. He rubbed the dog's head. "It's because you're a good boy, right? Yes you are!"

"Let's go before Lloyd starts to think Noishe will actually reply," Genis suggested sarcastically.

"Sh-Shut up, Genis!"

With that being said, and with the hyper, oversized dog back in our party, we left the City of Ruins behind us and continued on our journey.

* * *

**Well there you go! :D  
On to Luin in the next chapter, as well as some unicorns! Hurrah!  
Everyone loves unicorns, right? :3**

**I would be much obliged if you fine ladies and gents would be so kind as to review. Good day *tips hat***


	13. The Long, Eventful Road to Nowhere

**Well, here it is! I wanted to get it up earlier but I've been sick, along with everyone else in my town -.-**

**Anyway, I like this chapter. Not really sure why. I hope you all will too, though! :D**

**Umm I don't have much else to say...I think I finally figured out where to put that part! Which I am quite happy about. I've had to change a lot around, but I'm much happier with the way the story is going now than I was before. Thanks so much to everyone who's reading it, reviewing, has it on alert, and all that jazz. Believe it or not, you guys are keeping me going! And I extremely mean it~! :)**

**PS- Please feel free to point out any mistakes. I won't be mad!**

* * *

Well, after spending almost three days in Asgard, we were back on the road. I had mixed feelings about travelling once more. It was true that it was going to involve a lot more walking this time around (not that Palmacosta didn't, with all of the running back and forth we had to do), but on the other hand, I was glad we weren't going to be sitting in one place, just waiting for trouble to come find us. I'd prefer to run headfirst into trouble, because at least that way there was a chance I'd be prepared for it.

On the second day of travelling, Raine had decided that, since he had nothing better to do, it would be an excellent opportunity for Lloyd to catch up on his studies.

"Professor! Please no," he begged.

"Relax Lloyd," she told him. "It's not as if I'm going to have you do work while walking. I'm just going to quiz you a little to see if you really _have_ been keeping up with my assignments."

"Lloyd's in trouble~!" Genis sang under his breath.

Raine immediately started firing questions at him. I didn't pay too much attention, but I think it's safe to say that he answered the majority of them wrong, judging by the stuttering I could overhear. I could see Kratos shaking his head at the spectacle.

"Think you could do better while dealing with Raine?" I questioned.

"Of course," he replied calmly. "Although, I _would_ know the answers to those questions, unlike him."

I frowned. "You know, Kratos, you can be kind of hard on Lloyd sometimes."

"…is that so?"

"Yes."

He pondered it a moment. "Well if that's the case, then it's only because I sincerely believe that he has it in him to do better. He just doesn't apply himself."

I smirked. "You kind of sound like a stern father."

His expression hardened, and that was the end of our conversation. Perhaps I shouldn't have said that? It _had _kind of sounded like I'd been calling him old. Oh well. I doubted that Kratos of all people would be one to be offended by something like that.

The day passed by rather slowly after that, with Raine consistently quizzing Lloyd on everything from math to history. Finally though, the sun began to set and we found a suitable place to set up camp. Genis cooked and then we all settled down for the night. Raine told us that we should reach the House of Salvation sometime late tomorrow evening. Other than that, nothing too exciting happened and we were on the road again in the morning.

The next day was one of those great travelling days that seemed to just fly by. There were little monsters to fight, so we didn't have constant battles slowing us down like some days.

In the end, we reached the House of Salvation just as the sun was beginning to set.

"Was that so bad?" Kratos asked me. It took a moment for me to realize that he was taunting me.

"I already told you, I was never complaining about the walking!" I said irritably.

He shrugged, as though that wasn't what he was implying at all. "I'll go and purchase rooms for us. Do as you wish." He turned and walked away, leaving me almost boiling with anger at him.

"He really pisses you off, huh?" Lloyd examined.

I let out a long breath. "Who, me? Of course not. We just have…clashing personalities, that's all." Or he has a secret, and so do I, and there's a mutual mistrust between us. Although, it's worse on my end, because although I know for a fact that his secret is a mystery to me, there's no way for me to know if he actually knows mine with coming right out and asking, which would give it away anyway.

I swear, if I had to think about the word "secret" one more time, I was going to go insane.

"Well, you could have fooled me," Lloyd went on. "I'm just waiting for the day to come when you guys actually go at it. It would really be a sight to see."

"Why is that?" I asked.

"I dunno, I think you could hold your own against him."

I laughed. "Don't even joke about that."

"W-What?" he said innocently. "I'm serious! You're pretty tough, Aurelia."

"There's no way," I said. I shrugged the strap of my bag off of my shoulder and let it drop to the ground. "Tiny me, going up against big, scary Kratos? He would slice me up like a vegetable, Lloyd."

"Yeah, but you have all of those awesome moves!"

"So? Kratos is older than me; therefore he must have years of experience over me. To tell you the truth, I don't even think we've seen his best yet. He probably has all kinds of special attacks that he's never even had to use, because he can easily make do with the ones he has." As I spoke, the memory of the boat ride flashed in my mind. That mysterious, angelic attack that had saved our lives, I was still certain that Kratos had been the one to cast it. I'd seen the spell circle myself, or at least I was pretty sure I did.

I glanced at Lloyd, who still looked unconvinced. _Hmm, I wonder…_

"Hey Lloyd," I began a bit nervously. "I don't mean to change the subject, but it just sort of reminded me." I paused and did a quick scan to make sure Kratos hadn't returned from inside the House of Salvation yet. "Um, do you ever think about that attack that saved us on the way to Palmacosta…?"

His face lit up with the memory. "Oh yeah, I'd almost forgotten about that! Man, it was so awesome! What about it?"

I shook my head. "Um, it's nothing important, but…"

He miraculously seemed to get what I was grasping at. He dropped his voice down to a whisper. "Wait a minute, are you saying that you think Kratos was behind it?"

This was it. My chance to unload all of my suspicions about Kratos onto someone and see whether I really was just being paranoid, or if there actually was something odd about him. I opened my mouth to speak and…

Found myself unable to due to an unfortunate coughing fit. It wasn't as bad as it usually was whenever I saw Remiel, but it still kept me from saying what I was trying to.

"Aurelia, not again!" Lloyd exclaimed. "Professor! There's something wrong with Aurelia!"

I shook my head rapidly and tried to tell him I was fine, but it only came out as a weak croak, and therefore wasn't quite as convincing as I might have hoped. I could hear my heartbeat pounding in my own ears. Why now? Why about Kratos? Did it have something to do with Remiel? They couldn't be connected somehow, could they?

Raine was by my side in an instant, her hand resting gently on my back. "Aurelia, are you alright?"

By this point, I'd given up all hope of voicing my opinion on Kratos, so the coughing was beginning to subside. I looked up and managed a painful smile.

"T-Thanks, Raine. I-I think I'm fine…"

She shook her head. "No, there is definitely something amiss. Such violent coughing fits have occurred before, correct?"

"Yes, but those were-!"

"Let me guess. The first was due to seeing an angel for the first time. The second was because you had been perilously close to drowning, and you still had water in your lungs. Have I guessed correctly?"

"Y-Yes, but Raine…"

"No 'buts'," she said firmly. "These fits are far too violent to simply be left alone. I believe they are connected."

I stared silently at the ground. There was no way I could deny it. Not to Raine.

"Is Aurelia sick, Professor?" Colette asked worriedly.

My eyes met Raine's. Some sort of understanding seemed to be growing there, but I couldn't be sure what it was. Her gaze was unwavering as she said, "No dear, Aurelia should be fine. I shall do some tests on her after dinner to assure she is healthy." I knew that from the look in her eyes, it wasn't just going to be testing. I owed her an explanation that I couldn't even give. This certainly was going to be an interesting evening.

* * *

Dinner passed by all too quickly, and soon Raine was at me about my "testing". I had no choice but to agree to it, and here we now sat in the room she and Genis were sharing. Well, I sat, anyways. She was pacing back and forth before me, as though trying to figure out how to start.

"Now then," she began.

"Just get to the point," I murmured dejectedly. "I know you're not really 'testing' me. What is it that you want to know?"

"So you already understand why I wanted to speak with you," she said. "Well, that certainly makes this easier."

"No it doesn't," I said bluntly. "Not if it's about my coughing, because I honestly don't know what's causing it. And even if I did, I have the strangest inkling that I wouldn't be able to tell you."

She looked puzzled at the bitterness that had seeped into my voice. "What do you mean?"

I forced my words out around the tickle that was growing in my throat. "It only happens when I try to say certain things." That was about all I could get out without triggering anything.

She frowned. "Do you think you could be a little more specific?"

"If I could be _specific _then we wouldn't be having this conversation right now because the coughing would never have happened." I hadn't meant to snap at her. Raine was only trying to help me, and I knew that if anyone in this group _could_ help, then it would be her.

"Hmm…" She eased herself down on the bed opposite to mine. I could practically hear the gears in her brain working to figure it out. "So, let's just go through this, and try to give me as much feedback about it as possible, okay? That is, we'll try to see if we can pinpoint what exactly you're not able to say."

"A-Alright…"

"Now then, the first time you remember this happening, it was…"

"At the Seal of Fire," I replied. I could get that much out, because that was something she already knew.

"Okay, and you say that time it happened due to your shock over seeing an angel, correct?"

I hesitated. "Y-Yes, that's what I _said_…"

She clearly noted the hitch in my speech. "Right…now then, the second time, it was…"

"The Seal of Water…"

"And that time, you blamed it on the water still trapped in your lungs from your struggles underwater."

I nodded.

"Interesting. However, concerning the next incident, the pattern seems to break."

"How so?" I questioned, even though I knew full well how it was different. I wondered if she was beginning to catch on to it herself.

"Well, the first two times we were at a seal, having just the seal guardians. Under normal circumstances I might say that it had something to do with the excess of mana brought forth when the seals are released, which we would have to investigate or perhaps from overexertion due to fighting the guardians themselves, but that cannot be the case because this time around, circumstances were different. There was no large amount of mana present, and no challenging opponents to face. You and Lloyd were simply talking."

"I told you, it's to do with what I'm _trying_ to say," I said. _Oh please figure it out, Raine. I can't handle much more of this. You really all need to know what's going on, even if I don't quite know myself…_

She nodded thoughtfully. "That seems to be the case. However, I just don't see how that's possible. It seems highly unlikely that your respiratory problems are connected to your thoughts in such a way, unless, subconsciously, you really _don't_ want to tell us and this is your body's way of stopping you."

"That's not it at _all!"_ I insisted. "It really _is_ something I want you all to know!"

"If what you say _is_ true, then I would like to know what connection this information you've been trying to give us has to what you were trying to say to Lloyd."

I shook my head. "_I_ don't even know that. When I think about it, they're practically irrelevant." I let out an absent cough. The tickle in my throat wasn't leaving, telling me that I was treading dangerous waters.

"Well what was it that you and Lloyd were speaking of?" she asked. She looked at me expectantly, waiting to see if this was something I could speak of.

"You would have to ask him," I managed. She looked slightly disappointed.

"Doing so will draw unnecessary attention to your situation, I'm sure," she said, which I couldn't help but be grateful for.

"Yes, I don't want the others knowing about this," I confirmed. "There's not much need of it."

"I know. I just wish I could figure this out. After all, we don't know how dangerous this situation really is. The information you're unable to divulge could very well be life-saving."

Without warning, I felt my eyes grow hot with tears. I looked away from her so she wouldn't notice. She could very well have been right. There was something off about Remiel, and while his lying to Colette had always bothered me, I'd never really considered until now that the angel could very well mean her harm.

And then there was Kratos. I'd always had my suspicions, but now it seemed he was connected to my whole coughing fit problem with Remiel. He could easily be a threat to the group, but I had no idea. I just couldn't seem to make the pieces fit, and it scared me, because if someone ended up in danger because of all this, then it would be my fault for not being able to stop it.

"I really hope you're wrong, Raine," I whispered.

"Me too…" It was all she had to offer. She herself was staring sadly down into her lap. Somehow, I got the feeling that her sudden depression had to do with a lot more than just me. That just gave me a _bad_ feeling, because if the professor was visibly worried about something, then it couldn't be good.

"R-Raine?" I ventured.

She snapped her head up. "Oh, I'm sorry. I just got a little lost in thought. A-Anyway, please keep me informed on the situation. We'll see what unfolds when we reach the next seal, and I can make observations from there."

"A-Alright…" I did my best to swallow around the lump in my throat. "I-I um…I'm going to go to bed now. I'll see you in the morning."

"Right. Good night, Aurelia."

I nodded in response and left the room quickly.

Unfortunately, I didn't have the luxury of Colette already being asleep when I got back to our room, seeing as she wasn't able to. She sat bolt upright in bed as I entered.

"So? How did it go?" she pressed.

I took a while to answer, slowly changing out of my day clothes and into my nightgown. "Good," I said finally.

"Um, did the professor figure out what your coughing is about?"

I shook my head. "Not really. She thinks it may be some kind of overexertion thing. She just told me to keep her up to speed, you know?"

She looked relieved. "Oh thank goodness! I'm glad it's nothing too serious."

"Um, me too." I climbed into bed, fighting to keep my voice steady. "You know, I probably just wasn't much of a traveler before I lost my memory, or something like that."

"Yes, it's probably just something like that," she chattered.

"Exactly, so um, don't worry about it too much." Looking at Colette's relieved smile, I realized that she was really easy to lie to in the sense that she was incredibly gullible.

I felt a stinging in my chest. Why did she have to be so damn easy to lie to? That made it just that much _harder_ for _me_ to lie to her.

"I'm going to bed," I mumbled, reaching over and flicking the lamp off.

_Someday, Colette, when this is all over and the world is regenerated, then I'll tell you everything. And after that, I'll never lie to you again…_

With these thoughts plaguing my mind, it took me ages to fall asleep, and when I finally did, my dreams were haunted by angels and danger.

Because of this restless sleep, I was still exhausted in the morning. I practically fell asleep while eating breakfast. However, I was instantly alert when Lloyd began to ask about Raine's 'testing'.

"So yeah, how did it go?"

"I cannot be sure as of yet," Raine said smoothly. "However as of right now, I would have to say it's a case of overexertion. Aurelia, be sure you pace yourself today, alright? Don't be afraid to ask if we can stop and rest."

"Right, I'll keep that in mind…" Despite the fact that Raine was simply covering for me, I still found it a bit degrading that she had made me out to be a possible burden. I was just going to have to keep in mind that I wasn't a burden, by any means.

We were gathering up our things and getting ready to continue the journey to Luin when one of the priests approached us.

"Tell me, travelers, which way are you headed?"

"To Luin!" Colette replied enthusiastically.

"Ah, then might I suggest stopping at Lake Umacy nearby? Legend has it that a unicorn lives in the area. It seems the unicorn will appear only before a pure maiden. They say that sometimes, the visage of the unicorn appears on the surface of the lake."

Lloyd's eyes were growing wider and wider with each word that the priest spoke. He turned to face the rest of us. "That sounds amazing! Can we go see it?"

"Lloyd, it's just a legend," Genis reminded him.

"Besides," said Kratos. "Lake Umacy is a half a day's travel from here. If we were to go there, it would only be unnecessary walking, especially if this is, in fact, a myth."

"But it's a unicorn!" he protested. "How often do you get to see one of those? Pleeeeeease?"

"I think it would be neat!" said Colette.

"If the legend is indeed true, then it truly would be a sight to see," Raine agreed.

"So we can go?" Lloyd asked hopefully.

"I suppose," Kratos sighed, pressing a hand to his forehead.

Lloyd pumped a fist into the air. "Yes! Come on guys, let's go see that unicorn!"

I shook my head. All of this just to see a unicorn? This kid really needed to straighten out his priorities.

We started on the journey to Lake Umacy, which, as Kratos had said, was fairly close to the House of Salvation. We had reached the lake by the afternoon. The crystalline body of water sat in a cluster of trees that wasn't quite large enough to be considered a forest. The water was extremely blue, the trees were full of life- mana just seemed to radiate from every source, making the lake itself seem like it was alive.

"This place is…" I breathed.

"Look at that!" Lloyd yelled, cutting me off. He pointed at the center of the lake and my eyes followed to see…oh no.

The unicorn existed alright. However, it sat trapped at the bottom of the lake. It lay on its side, a bubble of air surrounding it (no doubt self-conjured so that it could breathe) with the trunks of fallen trees pinning it against the lakebed.

"It's beautiful…" Colette said dreamily. Her expression soon shifted, however, when she realized the situation.

"It's a unicorn!" Genis cried. "Raine it's a…" He trailed off, taking the same expression that Colette did.

"Yes, but why is it…" Raine squinted to get a look at the creature. "It's…trapped…"

"Oh no, how horrible!" said Colette.

"We have to help it!" Lloyd exclaimed.

"It's like a prison of water," Kratos observed. "There's nothing we can do about it."

"Then, we can't go see him…" Colette looked horribly distraught at the condition the unicorn was in.

Lloyd turned to the young sorcerer. "Can't you do something with your magic, Genis?"

He shrugged. "Do what? We could probably do something if we borrowed the power of a Summon Spirit, but I'm not a summoner."

"The art of summoning was lost long ago," said Raine. "There's no way we'll be able to do that…"

"But we can't just leave it there!" Colette protested.

In an effort to calm her down, I said, "Look, Colette. There's nothing we can do about it. But if the unicorn being here is a legend, then that must mean it's been here a long time, right? Who knows how long it's been under there? Besides, it has that air bubble surrounding it, so it should be able to breathe."

"Aurelia is right," said Kratos. "As of right now, there's nothing we can do. We may as well continue on to Luin."

She didn't look too convinced, but even she had to admit that the situation was hopeless right now. "Alright. Let's go then."

* * *

We travelled for about four days before reaching Luin. It was around noontime when we reached the city, and at this point Colette was feeling much better about not being able to help the unicorn.

The decision had been made to stay in Luin for the night before continuing on to the Balacruf Mausoleum. As we made our way through the town in search of an inn, I decided that I liked Luin already. It was…quaint. The streets were all cobblestoned and even the shops looked homey. The whole town just had an upbeat vibe to it, and I couldn't quite place my finger on what it was.

"Hope," said Lloyd, and I had the startling sensation that I'd been speaking out loud because it was as if he'd answered my thoughts.

"I'm sorry?" I said a bit shakily.

"I dunno, this place just seems really…hopeful," he decided.

"Hopeful about what?" I questioned, although I did have to agree with him. That word fit perfectly with how I was trying to describe this place.

"Everything," Colette said agreeably. "I like this place."

We soon found an inn not much further down the street and got ourselves checked in. The rooming arrangements were the same as always. Since it was early in the day, we all unpacked our things and decided to wander around the town a bit.

I walked around alone in search of a clothing store. While I didn't necessarily mind my new outfit, it just felt out of place where I was used to my black dress. I was hoping to at least find something similar. Besides that, these clothes were old and were already beginning to gain tears from the fighting I'd been doing in them.

I finally succeeded in finding a store. An older-looking woman looked up from her sewing as I entered.

"Hello dear," she said warmly. "How may I help you?"

"I'm looking for a new dress," I replied. "My old one got…damaged, and so I had to wear these, which were left behind at an inn in Asgard."

She stretched her arms out as she stood and made her way over to me. She walked with a slight hunch, no doubt because of endless hours spent leaning over her work. Her kind eyes turned thoughtful as she looked me up and down.

"Hmm, I no doubt already have a few dresses made in your size. Why don't you take a look at them and tell me which one you like?"

"O-Okay," I said, bowing my head slightly. "Miss, um…"

"Lianne will do just fine, sweetheart. And your name is?"

"Aurelia…"

"Well then Aurelia, don't be shy!" She smiled at me. "You just follow me and I'll let you try some dresses on, okay?"

I followed her through the shop, which was filled with racks of clothing and mannequins. I found it a bit crowded, but I liked it, and I liked her as well.

She showed me to a rack that was filled with a rainbow of dresses. I picked out a couple and proceeded to a dressing room to try them on.

In the end, I found a dress that was similar in design to my old one. It had colors of black and purple, with the same tight-fitting torso and same type of sleeves, only it ended shorter, a bit above my knees. Lianne managed to find some matching boots for me as well.

"You look just darling," she said as she worked out the total. "Now then, you can wear that right out of the store and I'll just take these old clothes off of your hands." I handed her the bundle of clothes, as well as the gald for the new clothes I now sported.

"Thank you so much, Lianne," I told her happily. "This dress feels much better."

"I'm glad you like it, dear. Now are you a traveler? Because I don't believe I've seen you around town before."

"Yes, my companions and I are on our way to the Balacruf Mausoleum. One of my friends is a professor so she is quite excited to get to study them." I was becoming quite good at avoiding giving away the fact that I was travelling with the Chosen. It just raised unneeded attention.

"Ahh the Balacruf Mausoleum! How exciting! So then, I take it you're coming from Hima?"

I frowned in confusion. "Um, no, we're coming from Asgard actually. Why do you ask?"

It was Lianne's turn to look puzzled. "But why would you come all this way when the mausoleum is only a day's travel from Asgard?"

"Wait, _what?"_ I practically screeched. "No, there's no way! Raine, the professor I spoke of, she has an ancient map she found in Asgard that directs us to-"

Lianne cut me off with a light chuckle. "Ah, so that's what it is. I suppose it cannot be helped if the map is as old as you say."

"I'm sorry, but I don't understand?" I had a sinking feeling in my gut.

"Well you see, the bridge leading to the island on which the mausoleum sits _used _to be around here. It would take around five days to reach it. However, a series of storms about a year ago destroyed it and so they had to rebuild it. When they went to rebuild it, they found that although the island itself was closer to Luin, it would be more practical to build the bridge near Asgard. The bridge itself was longer but it's less time on land, so anyone travelling there would be less likely to be attacked by monsters. All in all, it was just more convenient."

I could feel my blood boiling with each word she said. "So then the person who made that map so long ago was _wrong?"_ I spoke through gritted teeth to keep from yelling.

"Oh heavens, I'm not saying he's wrong, but it was made so very long ago. The land could easily have shifted or something to that effect."

At the moment, I didn't really care about if the island had moved, or if the map was just completely wrong. The point was, we'd just done around a week's worth of travelling for nothing. And now we were going to have to travel all the way back, and then probably back here _again_ on our way to the next seal.

Lianne stared up at me with a troubled expression. "I'm sorry to be the one to break the bad news, dear."

Staring at this woman's kind face, I found it impossible to direct my anger at her. After all, it wasn't _her _fault that we'd travelled all this way for nothing. In fact, if it wasn't for Lianne, we probably would have travelled the extra five days, only to find there was no longer a bridge there.

"I suppose I should thank you," I said finally. "You just saved us even _more_ needless travelling. I should probably go let the others know."

She nodded. "Right. Well then Aurelia, I hope you enjoy the rest of your journey!"

I felt a smile tug at my lips. "Thanks, I will. The next time we come to Luin I'll be sure to come and visit you."

"And I'll be waiting," she said with a lighthearted laugh. "Have a good day."

We said our last goodbyes and I exited the shop. I sighed heavily as I stepped into the afternoon sun. The others were _not_ going to take this well. Especially Lloyd.

Speaking of Lloyd, he was just walking by as I left the shop.

"Hey Aurelia!" he greeted, taking in my appearance. "I see you splurged on some new clothes? They look really-"

"Please stop," I interrupted impatiently. "I've already forgiven you for what happened in Asgard."

He paused. "Erm, right. Sorry."

I laughed slightly and then hesitated. Maybe I should tell him about the bridge. "Lloyd, I-"

"What were you trying to say about Kratos?" he asked suddenly.

I blinked. I certainly hadn't been expecting this. "Um…what?"

"You know, back at the House of Salvation," he explained. "We were talking about Kratos and that attack on the boat and then you had one of your coughing fits so you never got to finish."

"Why ask now?" I asked evasively.

"I only just remembered," he replied with a shrug.

I gulped. "O-Oh, well um, I was just going to say that it couldn't have been Kratos. I mean, did you see a spell circle beneath him?" I had, but that was beside the point.

"No, I guess not…" He gave his head a quick shake before grinning. "Yeah you're right. Man, what was I thinking? Not even _Kratos_ could pull off something like that!"

I forced a smile. "Y-Yeah. What _were_ you thinking? Um, anyway, let's go see if we can find the others. I sort of have some news…"

"News? Like what?" he asked curiously.

I shook my head. "No, it's probably best to wait until we're all together. Let's go find everyone."

He reluctantly agreed and we set off to find the rest of the group.

Walking through the town with Lloyd chattering away happily beside me, I couldn't help but notice again how nice of an atmosphere it had. Anytime two people met on the street they would stop and chat, and even when it came to us, we always either received a smile, a nod of the head, or a "Hello, nice day, isn't it?" I couldn't help but think that, if I hadn't grown up with Lord Yggdrasill, and I was able to choose, I would have chosen Luin to grow up in.

As we turned a corner, all of my happy feelings were suddenly wrenched away because there stood Sheena, the assassin we just couldn't seem to get away from.

"Lloyd!" I hissed, clutching his arm.

"Ow! What?" he demanded while he attempted to remove my nails from his flesh. He followed my panicked gaze. "Oh, hey, it's her!"

I couldn't tell whether I should have felt panicked or confused. The assassin stood there with a group of kids surrounding her, a small smile on her face. The kids were all chattering and laughing, and most of them were fighting for her attention.

"Okay, okay, _fine,_" she laughed in defeat. "I'll be it this time. You all go hide!"

"Yay!" one of the kids said joyfully. "Hehe, everybody hide!" The group dispersed and ran off in every direction in search of hiding places.

Sheena covered her eyes and counted to twenty very loudly. When she finished, she uncovered her eyes and shouted, "Ready or not, here I-!" She cut off when she saw Lloyd and me staring at her with bewildered expressions. Her smile dropped instantly and usual defensive anger flared up. "Wh-What are you staring at?"

Lloyd thought a moment before saying, "You know, you're actually a nice person after all."

Her cheeks reddened. "Wh-What are you saying?"

I sighed in annoyance. "I really wish you'd stop trying to act so tough around us, because it's obvious at this point that you're not. Why else would you be playing with those kids?" I found myself taking on Colette and Lloyd's point of view. There had to be more to this girl than we could see. And if I was right about the whole Tethe'alla thing… "Can't we just talk about-"

"_Stop _it!" she snapped. "What is it with you people? D-Don't you realize I'm trying to kill you?"

"Of course we do!" I said angrily. "But you must have some sort of reason! I mean, obviously you're not completely _evil_ if you're playing and laughing with young children."

I could see some kind of emotion building up behind her brown eyes. "Ugh, stop! Why do you think telling me stuff like this is ever going to change anything! You're…you're still my enemy!" She turned away from us. "For as long as we're both in this city, I won't fight you. But the next time we meet, I'm not going to show any mercy!" With that, she took off, leaving Lloyd and I behind to stare after her.

"Dammit, what is her deal?" Lloyd muttered. "We probably don't even have to fight, but she just won't listen to us!"

I stared in the direction she'd gone. "I know. I wish I knew what her story was too. Anyways, we should probably go tell the others she's here, huh?"

He nodded. "Right…come on, let's go then."

I stood watching him skulk away before following after him. I knew how he was feeling, and I felt the same. Why would someone who seemed like she was an honestly good person want to kill someone like Colette, who was going to save this world? It just didn't make sense.

Unless she was from Tethe'alla. Then it would make perfect sense. If Sylvarant became the flourishing world, then Tethe'alla would no doubt suffer. If Sheena really _was _from Tethe'alla, then perhaps she had been sent to stop this Chosen from succeeding. The only flaw in this theory was how she had managed to get from Tethe'alla to Sylvarant. I'd never heard of anyone doing that. Most people were oblivious to the fact that another world besides their own even existed.

I pondered this as we headed back to the inn. Everyone was there by the time we arrived, just kind of loitering about before supper.

"What is it?" Raine asked as we approached, no doubt taking in Lloyd's solemn expression and my pensive one.

"We met Sheena in town," Lloyd explained.

"Sheena's here?" said Colette with mild surprise. "How was she doing?"

"Peachy as ever," I remarked.

"I just don't get it," Lloyd grumbled. "We saw here playing hide-and-seek with a bunch of children, and she was laughing and smiling. She actually seemed like a nice person. And then Aurelia and I showed up and she was back to her usual hostility."

"And we won't ever get it until we hear her side of the story," I added sadly. "Which, I'm starting to agree with you guys that she does probably have her own reasons."

Colette looked even more surprised. "You do? But out of all of us, you act like you hate her the most!"

"I know I do, but…" I couldn't explain my theory, so I used a different logic instead. "Even when she's angry and being all hostile towards us, I…I can still see a sort of sadness in her eyes. As though she wishes there were a better way."

"And that's what pisses me off!" Lloyd exploded. "There probably _is_ a better way, and she won't even consider letting us help her out!"

"There's nothing we can do about it Lloyd," Kratos said calmly. "The girl has chosen her path and no doubt intends to stick to it. When the time comes, she'll be looking for the Chosen's life, not her words."

Colette stared downward, looking crestfallen. "Let's just hope it doesn't come to that."

No one said anything in response, because everyone was thinking the same thing- it _was_ going to come down to that, no matter how hard we tried to avoid it. Sheena just wasn't ever going to see eye-to-eye with us. Unless…

I stared up at the sky. Perhaps if I could find her tonight, assuming she was still in town by then, and reason with her. I knew of Tethe'alla, so maybe I'd be able to present a better argument than Colette or Lloyd could.

"Aurelia," said Lloyd, cutting into my thoughts. "What was it that you were going to tell us all?"

I stared blankly at him. "What…?"

He sighed impatiently. "You know, that news or whatever. The whole reason we came back here…?"

"Oh! Oh…" I remembered what he meant now, and a feeling of dread crept over me. What was that expression about not shooting the messenger? I prayed to Martel that the others would be familiar with it. "Right. About that…?"

Raine's face looked grave. "It doesn't look like you have very _good_ news for us…"

I laughed nervously. "Um, no. You see, when I was at the tailor's, the woman who worked there, Lianne, well um…she informed me that the bridge leading to Balacruf Mausoleum had been destroyed about a year ago by a series of storms."

"Oh no!" Colette cried. "Then how are we going to get there?"

"Oh, well they rebuilt the bridge!" I said hastily.

I could almost feel relief settle over the group. Except for…

"But…?" Kratos prompted.

"But they rebuilt it not that far away from Asgard…" I finished meekly. "Had we stayed there, we'd only had to have travelled for less than a day." I cringed and waited for the uproar to start. Lloyd took it upon himself to pick it up.

"You mean we walked all this way for _nothing?"_ he exclaimed angrily.

"This can't be!" Raine gaped. She rushed into the inn, and when she returned she was holding the stone tablet which held the map to Balacruf. "This map specifically says that-!"

"That map was made hundreds of years ago, Raine," I pointed out. "Whereas the new bridge could only have been finished in the past year. Obviously it's not going to be the same…"

"I can't believe we have to walk all the way back again!" Genis groaned. "And plus after _that_ we'll probably have to come back here again to find the _next_ seal!"

"This is terrible!" Lloyd grumbled, adding a few expletives under his breath.

"Do you see what you've caused?" Kratos asked me with the slightest of smirks, his voice low so that only I could hear. He _would_ be amused at my misery.

"Has anyone ever told you that you're _not_ funny?" I snapped in a whisper. "Would you have preferred that I kept this to myself and walked the rest of the way to a bridge that wasn't there?"

His face fell blank. "Whoever said I was trying to be funny?"

I let out a frustrated noise. "Whatever." I turned to the rest of the group. "So, um, what now…?

Raine sighed. "Well, I suppose that we have no choice but to travel back to Asgard. We need to release that seal."

"But it's so much walking!" Lloyd complained.

"Then why don't we just leave you here?" Genis suggested.

"Shut-up, Genis!"

"Oh come on guys, it's not so bad!" Colette said cheerfully. Of course _she_ would be optimistic about it. She didn't ever get tired.

"We'll leave first thing tomorrow morning," said Raine. She turned to me. "We should be thanking you, Aurelia. Had you not found out about the bridge, we would have travelled even further for nothing."

I couldn't help but glance smugly at Kratos, who merely shook his head and went off to prepare dinner. "Thank goodness I was in the mood for a new dress," I said lightly.

"Oh, you _did_ get a new dress!" Colette realized. "It's really pretty!"

"I don't see how you can all be so upbeat at a time like this!" Lloyd exclaimed. He stomped away.

Raine sighed and shook her head. "He's just upset about the extra walking. Don't pay him any attention."

"No I'm not!" Lloyd snapped over his shoulder, causing us all to laugh.

After dinner, Raine sent Colette and I off to the store to load up on supplies for tomorrow. I was a little wary, as last time the two of us had gone off to shop we'd been attacked by Desians. However, this time around, we managed to get to the store without any trouble. Colette read off the list to me and I found the items and placed them in a shopping bag. The two of us stood at the counter and waited patiently as the young man totaled up the cost. He looked to be a little bit older than Colette.

"You two girls must be travelers, hmm?" he asked cheerily. "I don't think I've seen you around."

"Yep, we're travelers!" Colette replied brightly. "We're from Asgard."

"Oh really? So how are you two enjoying our lovely city?" He flashed us each a smile and I couldn't help but smile back. He _was_ a pretty charming boy, I had to admit.

"It really is beautiful," I told him. "Everyone is just so friendly and…warm."

He grinned. "Yep, that's us! You would think it'd be kind of hard for everyone to stay so positive, what with the human ranch being so close by and all, but-"

"Wait a minute," I cut in. "Um, I'm sorry for interrupting, but did you say that there's a human ranch nearby?"

He nodded, his cheerful demeanor dropping a notch. "Yeah, it kind of sucks. I mean, it's filled with people from Asgard as well as here. But, we don't really let ourselves be discouraged by it." He smiled again. "That's why we're known as the City of Hope, you know? Because we all believe in the Chosen and have faith that she's gonna get rid of those guys for us."

"That's…really nice," said Colette, smiling shyly. "I'm sure if the Chosen herself was to hear that, then she would be really happy!"

He nodded. "Anyways, sorry to keep you ladies waiting. Your total comes to 1,120 gald, but since you're both so pretty, I'll give you a discount. That'll be 900 gald please!"

"Are you sure about that?" I asked hesitantly, horribly aware of the fact he had called us both pretty.

He waved it off. "It's no problem. How long are you girls in town for?"

"We're leaving in the morning," said Colette.

"Ahh, and I work until closing, otherwise I would have offered to take you both out."

"Out where?" Colette asked cluelessly.

He raised an eyebrow.

"Don't mind her," I sighed. "Anyway, maybe next time. We're going to be back in about a week or so."

"In that case, I can't wait!" he grinned. "I'm Devin by the way."

"I'm Aurelia, and this is Colette," I told him. "Really nice meeting you, Devin!"

"Trust me, the pleasure was _all _mine," he said smoothly. He handed us our bag. "You better not back out on that promise!"

"We won't," I laughed.

"Bye Devin!" Colette said with her broad smile. We left the shop in a manner that any teenage girl would have- whispering about how handsome he was.

"He really seemed to like you," Colette noted. "He stared at you the whole time!"

I blushed. "Y-You think so?"

She nodded.

It continued like this the whole way back to the inn. Once the novelty of having an attractive guy ask me out wore off, I began to think of what he said about the human ranch. So there was one here, too. I wondered who was in charge of this one. It was strange, but when I imagined the Desians attacking a place like this, my rage built even more than usual.

_It's because this place is innocent,_ my inner voice told me. _There's no way anyone here could ever do anything that would make them deserving of the Desians' wrath._

I thought of the people I had met here today. Lianne, Devin- even the children Sheena had been playing with flashed through my mind. There was no way I could let anything happen to them. I made a mental note to bring up the idea of doing something about the ranch after we had released the Seal of Wind. However, I didn't think it would go over well. The last ranch we'd only destroyed because of having to rescue Chocolat and the toxic grip it had over Palmacosta. We'd almost been dragged into that one. I highly doubted the others, besides Lloyd, would be interested in charging into a human ranch without any specific reason. It was practically a death wish for us and the surrounding towns if we didn't succeed.

As we reached the inn, I took one last glance at the twilight drenched town. _Those Desians better have enough sense not to disturb this place, or they're going to hear from me._

I headed in after Colette when I heard her calling me. My rage had subsided a bit, but I could still feel it burning deep down. Something told me that it wasn't something that was going to fade over time. That anger was here to stay.

* * *

**Surprise OC's! Kind of. They were a surprise to me anyways XD**

**So another chapter that focused more on Aurelia's plot. That being said, I hope you enjoyed it! :)**

**Review pretty please with sprinkles on top? Unless you don't like sprinkles then that's cool too. We have many toppings.**


	14. Becoming an Angel

**Here it is! Back to actual game plot!**

**It's Sunday today. I hate Sundays. You just have that gross feeling that there's school the next day. Bleeeeh**

**But anyways. Please enjoy the chapter~!**

* * *

No one was happy about leaving Luin. Of that much, I can assure you. Whether it was the long backtrack we had to do or the prospect of leaving the comfortable, peaceful town behind, no one seemed overly happy about the journey we faced that next morning. Even Colette appeared to be a little dispirited, although she was as upbeat as ever.

"Five days wasted," Lloyd kept mumbling.

Colette smiled. "Lloyd, look on the bright side…" Her voice trailed into silence on the word "side" at the look Lloyd gave her. "Um, never mind…"

The five days of travelling went by painfully slow, like we were walking through sludge. To make matters worse, the day we reached the House of Salvation, it had started to rain. We'd walked through the rain for a solid two hours before finally reaching it. Unsurprisingly, this did little to lift Lloyd's spirits. In fact…

"I hate everything," he grumbled as we trudged through the door of the House of Salvation. We probably could have filled a bathtub with the collective rainwater that dripped off our clothing.

Colette didn't dare tell him to look on the bright side.

It wasn't too late into the day, but the rain didn't look like it planned on stopping, so we decided to unpack and relax indoors. Everyone each took a bath, and then we ate supper. Yes, it was a rather uneventful night, except for the fact that Lloyd was in probably the worst mood I'd ever seen him and felt like snapping at anyone who tried talking to him.

We left early the next morning to get a head-start on the journey. The plan was, depending how late we arrived, to stay in Asgard for the night and then head to the Balacruf Mausoleum the next day.

As it turned out, we reached Asgard at around noontime that day, so we decided to just go ahead and go to seal right away.

I could feel an odd sort of excitement bubbling up within me as we walked across the incredibly long, wooden bridge. We would be seeing Remiel again. If I tried to confront him, my strange condition would probably kick in. He was probably getting suspicious of what I was trying to do by this point. As far as I could remember, Remiel wasn't stupid. However, Raine would be carefully observing me this time, and so maybe she would be able to figure _something_ out. I really hoped so.

It took ten minutes to reach the mausoleum once we hit the island itself. It sat nestled in the shadows of the surrounding mountains, a pyramid-shaped structure built from white stone blocks. Crumbling columns and pillars littered the ground leading up to it. A small set of steps led up to the sealed entrance.

A few people milled about- a shopkeeper selling some basic provisions, a hiker and his dog- but other than that it was relatively quiet. We would be able to operate the oracle stone without anyone seeing, hopefully.

"Look at it!" Raine said in awe. She broke away from the group to begin gushing over it. "It's simply _marvelous!"_

"Record timing," Genis remarked. He hung his head with slight shame.

We stood back and let her Ruin Mode run its course before she turned back to us, the gleam in her eyes contained but not completely gone. She calmly offered Colette the stone tablet.

"Climb the central stairway and offer the map at the altar," she instructed.

"Yes, Professor!" she accepted the tablet and headed up the stairs, the rest of us following close behind.

When we reached the altar, I saw that it had a sort of indentation, but not like that of an oracle stone. It had more of a square shape, almost a perfect fit for the stone tablet.

"It seems to be a perfect fit for the Map of Balacruf," Raine observed, but Colette seemed to have filled in the blanks before she did. She fit the tablet into place, and as she did, particles of light began to form and condense into one spot. The mana took shape and when it finally solidified and the light faded, an oracle stone stood where one hadn't stood before.

"It's an oracle stone!" Genis exclaimed with surprise.

"Alright, we were right!" Lloyd cheered. "This really is a seal!" I had a feeling heads would roll if we'd come all this way and it _hadn't_ really been a seal.

Colette looked pleased as well. "Okay then! Well, I guess I'll put my hand on it…" She reached forward and pressed her hand into the depression like she usually did.

The stone slab sealing the entrance to the tomb slid open with a low grinding side. Darkness met us. Lloyd, being the impatient one that he was, practically sprinted into the tomb.

"Lloyd, _wait!_" Kratos called. When he didn't respond, he sighed and pressed a hand to his forehead. "Doesn't he remember what happened _last_ time he went barging into a room carelessly?"

Genis and I both let out a laugh. The memory of Lloyd covered in starfish popped up in my mind. Unfortunately, so did the image of a giant, spiked turtle getting ready to trample him to death. I frowned. Perhaps we _should_ have been getting into the tomb now.

I was plunged into darkness once I got inside. It was almost impossible to adjust from the bright sunlight to the blackness of the tomb.

"I can't see anything!" Genis protested. "Lloyd, where are you?"

"Over here!" I heard footsteps and then a grunt of pain as someone stepped on somebody else's foot.

"There's a torch on the wall!" Colette spoke up. "Lloyd, can you light it?"

"How can you see something like that?" he questioned her with bewilderment plain in his voice. Of course she would be able to see well in the darkness with her angel senses, which got me wondering again about what lay in store for her once she released this seal. What she would gain. What she would lose.

I felt my hair whipped around my face by a sudden burst of wind.

"What the hell?" said Lloyd. "The Sorcerer's Ring isn't doing anything!"

I felt gust after gust of wind in my face before I caught on. "Lloyd, I think it's shooting bursts of wind. I can feel it on my face."

"'Wind'? Jeez, that's almost as useless as water…"

Orange light suddenly burst to life, bringing light to the otherwise unbreakable darkness. I blinked rapidly to adjust to the new light. Its source was a burning torch on the wall.

"That's better," Lloyd sighed. He gazed around at our new surroundings, which consisted of several stone hallways branching off in different directions. A plaque with some sort of engraving was on a wall nearby.

"You're welcome," Genis said sarcastically. He must have cast some kind of low-leveled version of Fireball. It had worked, and I could see much better than I could have before.

"_Think_ next time before running into a potentially dangerous area unprepared," Raine scolded Lloyd, but he wasn't really paying attention. He was too busy staring around excitedly. A long-forgotten tomb? That sounded right up Lloyd's alley.

"Oh, this is pretty cool!" he said with a grin. "I feel like an explorer!"

"You always start _out_ enthusiastic," said Kratos. "It rarely lasts."

Lloyd opened his mouth to give a comeback when I held up a hand and Genis held up his hand and shushed him. We all stopped and listened. The sound of a distant, whistling wind echoed eerily though the whole tomb.

"I can hear the sound of wind…" said Colette. She could no doubt hear it clear as day.

Lloyd, meanwhile, continued to blast wind from his ring. He frowned. "I wonder what we need this wind for."

"It _is _the Seal of Wind," I pointed out. "Like the last two times, I'm willing to bet that it has something to do with a puzzle of some sort here."

"Why can't we get something awesome we can use in battle?" he said.

Raine rolled her eyes. "Honestly, Lloyd." She then noticed the plaque with the inscription on it. Her eyes were immediately glued to it.

"What is it, Professor?" Colette questioned, while I approached to read it over her shoulder. I quickly skimmed it and found nothing of real importance. Mostly just information on who was buried in this tomb and such.

"Nothing important," I told Colette in a whisper so that Raine wouldn't hear me, because she was clearly fascinated by it and would no doubt flay me alive if she heard me say something like that.

"Well what are we waiting for?" Lloyd asked impatiently. "Let's release that seal!" For the second time today, Lloyd rushed into unknown dangers.

However _this _time, Kratos was prepared. He ran forward and pulled Lloyd roughly backwards by the back of his collar. Lloyd's foot had just stepped into one of the hallways. A row of high, lethal-looking spikes now jutted up from the floor where his foot had been.

"Are you _insane?" _Kratos barked. "What did we _just_ tell you?"

"Lloyd," I groaned. "You could have been skewered!"

"Gah, I'm sorry!" he coughed. Kratos must have choked him when he'd grabbed his collar. "I won't do it again!"

Kratos' face was blank. "Yes you will. Even _you_ can't believe that you won't."

"Kratos-!"

"Just be careful and try not to get yourself killed." He released Lloyd's collar by pushing him roughly forward, earning a spiteful look from Lloyd. "Let us proceed with caution."

"We're not Lloyd," Genis pointed out. "That was kind of the plan all along."

"Shut-up, Genis!"

We started deeper into the tomb. Because it was clearly inlaid with traps to help keep grave robbers out, we really did have to be careful. All of the first passages that we approached were set with spikes at almost the very beginning. The one path that seemed passable still had spikes, however they were possible to avoid. They didn't rise up when you passed over them, but rather on their own at regular intervals. We would just have to take turns passing over them when they were in the floor. Genis was lighting all of the torches we past with his Fireball spell so that we could actually see where we were going. I shuddered at the thought of passing through this place without any light. It would be suicide, especially since the traps were hard to avoid even when you _could_ see where you were going.

I had a horrible, paranoid feeling. I highly doubted that these spikes were the traps that had been laid, and if that was the case then we had no idea what lurked in the shadows. Any moment I could trigger a blade swinging down to meet us or unleash an army of the undead. At least we hadn't come across any enemies yet.

"Hey, does anyone else hear that rattling?" Colette said, frowning deeply.

Everyone paused and listened. In the dead silence, I heard it. An almost grotesque sound that sounded like…oh god. It was almost like the sound of bones rattling.

That was when I felt a bony hand clamp down on my shoulder. I whirled around and found myself staring into the empty eye sockets of a face lacking quite a lot of skin. All of it, in fact. A walking skeleton stood before me, donned in armor and holding a rusted sword in one hand. I let out a shriek and wrenched my shoulder away. My hand fumbled for my spear in my belt. I instead found my dagger. Oh well. Protection was protection.

"I got this!" said Lloyd, swiftly drawing his twin swords. I ducked out of the way as he lunged for the skeleton.

The sound of rattling and smell of decay increased as more skeletons joined the fray. My terror was slowly building as well.

"Try to use magic, Aurelia!" Raine called to me. "It will be much more effective. Do you know any spells?"

"A few," I replied. I switched my dagger for my spear. "Let's just see what I've got stashed up my sleeve." What was meant to be a confident remark fell flat as my fear seeped into my voice. It was just these damn skeletons! Why couldn't these people have stayed dead the first time? It was just unnatural.

I charged into the mass of undead and picked a random target. "_Shatter!"_ The ice spread from the head of my spear to every bone in the creature's torso. I could hear the crackling of the ice settling across its ribs, seeping into the very core. Finally, I snapped my fingers and there was an explosion of ice and bone. The rest of the skeleton fell in a heap to the ground.

"This is so creepy," I murmured, stepping over the pile and continuing to fight.

The group was soon all reduced to piles. A lot of the bones had been destroyed due to my Shatter attack, so there wasn't much chance of the skeletons reforming and coming after us. For at least a while anyway.

We delved deeper into the tomb, fighting off more skeletons and avoiding more spiky traps as we went. Thankfully, Lloyd seemed to have partially learned his lesson and didn't end up running into any more traps. Although, I _was_ just waiting for it to happen.

After much twisting and turning we came to a doorway. In the other room were five different colored devices similar to those pinwheel toys that children played with, in which you blew on them to make them spin. However these were shaped differently. It almost looked like four angel wings angled around the center.

"What is this?" Lloyd wondered out loud.

"Probably another portion of the trial," said Raine. She held her hand to her chin in thought. "Hmm, try using the Sorcerer's Ring on one of them, Lloyd."

He did as instructed and it began to spin rapidly. We all waited a moment for it to ease to a stop.

"Yes, it's just as I thought. The new wind function of the Sorcerer's Ring is no doubt intended for the purpose of powering these pinwheels. My guess is that we'll have to spin them all in a specific order in order for the door to the seal room to open."

Lloyd's eyes widened. "But…but how are we supposed to know the order? This could take_ forever!"_

"We don't have much of a choice. We need to release this seal, Lloyd."

He hung his head. "It's going to take so long. Damn, this sucks."

"Stop complaining," I told him. "The more you complain about it, then the longer it's going to take. Got it?"

He didn't answer me, but he approached the pinwheels all the same. Since he was the only one who had a Sorcerer's Ring, there wasn't much else the rest of us could do but sit back and watched as he, with much frustration, blew wind onto the pinwheels in different orders each time. I flashed back to the trial at the Seal of Water, when he'd spent an endless amount of time trying to get the water levels perfectly equal. I crouched down. Something told me that if these seals had as many similarities as I'd noticed, then we'd be here for a while.

My hunch wasn't too far off. We sat there for about an hour while Lloyd tried out millions of combinations and none of them were right. I was just considering taking a nap when all of the pinwheels started spinning even faster and a portion of the wall slid away to reveal a staircase. Natural light filtered in from up the stairs.

Lloyd's reaction was euphoric. "I DID IT! I FINALLY DID IT!"

"Don't start _this_ again," Genis sighed. "We don't have time for you to do a happy dance, Lloyd."

Genis' criticism brought Lloyd's mood down slightly. "Ugh, fine. C'mon, let's go…"

We headed up the steps, the light getting brighter with each step. Finally, we emerged into bright sunlight. It took me a minute for my eyes to adjust to the light, but I was just happy we'd escaped that darkness. We appeared to be on the very top of the mausoleum, and the seal lay before us.

"We're finally at the altar," Lloyd huffed. "I'm getting sick of dungeons."

"Lloyd, it's a tomb!" Colette corrected him cheerfully.

He waved a hand dismissively.

"You have no patience," Kratos sighed.

"What happened to feeling like an explorer?" I asked amusedly. "Did you lose your nerve around all those scary skeletons?"

"Who screamed when one touched her?" he snapped.

I laughed to show it hadn't been much of a comeback. I then tensed and whirled around to face the seal. Genis and Raine were eying it too, having no doubt sensed the sudden shift in mana.

"Wait," said Genis, and Lloyd ceased his bickering. "I sense…incredible mana." I didn't say anything, but I definitely sensed it as well.

A burst of green mana exploded from the seal and with it came the seal guardian. It was a huge type of bird with colors of cobalt blue and green, with two large, sharp talons that it landed on before us. I drew my spear, feeling a stupid sense of relief that the guardian wasn't a giant skeleton. I had problems.

Genis, Raine and Colette immediately started casting, hopefully with Genis casting Stalagmite or another ground-based spell. I charged at the bird, along with Lloyd and Kratos, however it immediately shot into the sky, just out of our reach.

"Damn, we need to reach it!" said Lloyd. His eyes were locked onto the spell circle beneath the bird. He darted forward. "_Tempest!"_ His series of flips through the air managed to reach the bird and knock it down a couple feet, just as a powerful attack similar to Wind Blade was unleashed on our casters.

Enraged at almost having its spell interrupted, the bird let out a sharp cry and dove towards Lloyd. Lloyd made to dive out of the way himself, but he was just too quick and the bird caught him in his talons and soared up high.

"Lloyd!" Colette cried.

My eyes followed the bird as he kept flying higher and higher. I had a bad feeling about this.

This feeling proved to be true when the bird suddenly unclenched its talons and Lloyd began to fall. And fall…and fall. There was no way he could survive a drop that high. However, just as he was nearing the ground, Colette flew towards him with open arms and managed to catch him, sort of. They still both slammed into the ground, but Lloyd's fall was broken by Colette and so he wasn't nearly as hurt as he could have been.

By this point, the bird was swooping back down again. Kratos and I prepared ourselves while Raine rushed to heal Lloyd.

"How do you suppose we go about this?" I began to ask Kratos, but he was already a bit distanced from me, no doubt casting Fireball or First Aid to help Raine.

I sighed in annoyance. Guess I was on my own for a minute. I gripped my spear and looked up at the bird, which was just out of my reach. Reach? Hmm…

I took a few steps back and called, "_Reach!" _The blade of my spear shone white and extended rapidly until it pierced the bird's chest. It returned to normal while the bird let out another cry. It was diving for me when Kratos' Fireball spell manifested and knocked it back a bit. It immediately changed its course and went to attack Kratos. This thing sure liked its revenge, didn't it?

Kratos wasn't quick enough to defend himself. The bird dug its talons into Kratos' chest and flung him aside.

While the bird was at ground-level Lloyd and I rushed in to unleash as many attacks as we could on it before it knocked us back with its great wings and took to the sky again. Another spell circle appeared beneath it. The circle didn't even waver when pillars of rock shot from Genis' Stalagmite spell shot up and struck the beast.

Meanwhile, I was struggling to catch my breath. Those wings were a lot heavier than they looked, and when one connected with my stomach it had pushed the air right out of my lungs.

"You okay?" Lloyd mouthed. A low groaning sound was all that came out of his mouth, telling me that he was in the same state I was.

I nodded, still trying to breathe.

The bird cast the Wind Blade attack again only this time, it was aimed at Lloyd and I. Yes, it seems like the revenge tactic was still in use. I winds were huge, much larger than the ones Genis could summon, and cut deep gashes into my arms. My breath returned to me in a sharp gasp of pain.

Raine was busy casting some other spell, probably Photon to use against the beast itself, so when I felt the cool relief of First Aid on my arms, I knew it had come from Kratos. He rarely used the spell though, as Raine was usually on top of healing.

"Thanks," I said to him with a curt nod.

He shrugged and ran to slash at the bird, as it was still ground-level from the attack it had just unleashed on Colette. The fierce combo he administered left the bird momentarily stunned, just laying on the ground.

I took a running start. _"Predator!" _My spear plunged into the beast's stomach, breaking it out of its daze. It flew up, its wings whipping up a powerful whirlwind that knocked us all off our feet. Great, it was _really _mad now.

"Let's take it down quickly!" Kratos ordered.

Anyone who had spells at their disposal began casting. This left just me and Lloyd.

"Combo it?" Lloyd suggested.

"What do you have in mind?" I asked. I dove out of the way as the bird lunged for me. It soared back up.

"I'll use Tempest, you use Reach? If we time it right, we can hit him at the same time. It could work well."

I thought about it a moment. "Alright, let's try it."

He nodded. "Alright then, _Tempest…"_

"_Reach!" _I finished.

The blade of my spear started growing and pierced the bird's cheek, just as Lloyd's flailing swords sliced open its chest. It began to howl and shriek.

The howls were silenced as a barrage of spells was unleashed upon it, including Angel Feathers, Stalagmite and Photon. The beast exploded in a burst of green mana, which all returned to the altar like it usually did.

The seal released. A floating ball of green mana appeared briefly before fading again. Remiel's voice echoed around us.

"Chosen of Regeneration…you have done well in reaching this far. Now, offer your prayers at the altar."

Colette nodded resolutely and approached the altar. "Oh, Goddess Martel, great protector and nurturer of the earth, grant me thy strength!" Colette's wings unfolded from her back and she hovered in the air.

A brilliant light flashed and then there was Remiel, floating down to meet us. My initial anger blazed up inside of me. This anger I felt towards him…it got worse each time I saw him. However this time, it was appeased slightly by the memory of the talk Colette and I had. She had trouble trusting him too. It wasn't just me. Still, that didn't help erase the anger completely.

"This is the third seal," said Remiel. "You have done well in reaching this far, Chosen One…Colette."

Colette winced at the sound of her name. It was as if each time he used it cut some kind of wound even deeper. The fact that she wasn't just another Chosen, that he knew her name personally and used it because he was her "father"…it must have been so hard on her, especially with the doubts I knew she had.

"Thank-you," she said quietly.

"Receive this blessing, the gift of angelic power from Cruxis."

"Y-Yes, Father…thank-you."

He held his hand out and sent mana streaming towards her. Her body absorbed it. It was going to change her, this mana. Grant her a new power. Chip away even further at her humanity, because let's face it. She _was_ becoming an angel, which was supposedly great; however she was also losing all the little things that made her human. That made her Colette. And I knew she wasn't a hundred percent okay with it.

I sent a glare towards Remiel, and, miraculously, he looked at me. There was a sort of smugness on his face, and I could almost read his thoughts. _Go ahead. Try it._

My anger got the better of me and I opened my mouth to yell something, _anything_ at him. Of course it didn't work. I was rewarded for my efforts with just one, violent cough. I forced down the rest that no doubt would follow, my eyes burning.

I had concealed it fairly well this time around, but Raine _had_ said she'd be watching. She had a quizzical look on her face as she tried to figure out what it was that had made me cough. The fact that it'd happened at yet another seal just added to the pattern.

I was surprised Remiel didn't let out a laugh, for all of the amusement I could see in his eyes. Colette couldn't have noticed because she kept her head bowed, awaiting further instructions.

"The next seal lies far northwest, in a place that gazes upon the center of the world," the angel continued. All traces of amusement were wiped from his features. "Offer your prayers at the altar in that distant land."

"I shall do as you say," she murmured. There was a long, almost contemplative pause from her before she added, "Lord Remiel."

That was it. I'm not sure how I knew, but Colette had just realized for a fact that Remiel wasn't her father. It had sounded so final, so sure. Her doubts were no longer there. Remiel wasn't her father. It was simply a fact that had finally become clear to her.

If such a thing bothered Remiel, he showed no signs of it. "I will be waiting for you at the next seal, Colette…my daughter." He began to drift up towards the sky, and with a brilliant flash he was gone. However, his voice echoed around us one, final time.

"The end of your journey is close. Hurry and become a true angel. Do not disappoint me…"

Colette descended to the ground and put her wings away. "A true angel…" she whispered.

Lloyd noticed her sad tone. "What is it?"

"Ah, nothing!" When she turned to face us, her face was lit up with her signature smile. "I was just…thinking when I become a true angel, it'll be amazing!"

Raine and Kratos were unusually quiet.

"I wonder how many more seals there are?" said Genis.

"That, we don't know…" Raine said finally. "Those that were recorded in the Book of Spiritua could easily have been only a few."

"At any rate, all we can do is keep going," Kratos said shortly.

Both of them were speaking in weird tones. I didn't trust it. And all the while, Colette's blue eyes remained haunted by some distant thought, even when she happily announced that she'd learned a new spell.

* * *

We made our way back to the entrance of the tomb, and luckily we weren't attacked by any skeletons along the way.

However, that's where our luck ended.

We had just reached the exit when an all too familiar voice stopped us in our tracks.

"_Stop!"_'

Lloyd perked up. "T-That voice…"

"Oh no…" Genis groaned.

Sheena jumped down in front of us, from where I couldn't tell you. She held a handful of the cards she used to battle and her face looked deadly in the dim torchlight.

"This day has finally come. This ancient ruin shall be your graveyard!"

Colette took a couple steps forward. "Oh, you're here too!" she said brightly.

The cold fierceness Sheena's face had depicted was replaced with uncertainty. "S-Stay back! Don't move! Don't touch anything!"

"'Don't touch anything'?" I repeated under my breath, although I could tell she was probably worried about clumsy Colette setting off one of the tomb's many traps.

Colette paused and frowned. "But now that we've finally become friends, why do we have to fight?"

I think _everyone_ was a little confused at that one.

"Since when are we…?" She trailed off and gave her head a quick shake. "For the last time, I have no intention of befriending you!"

I let out a frustrated sigh. "But why can't you just stop being so god damned stubborn and-!"

"_Silence!"_ she snapped, cutting off my plea for talking to her. "Prepare yourselves!" She pulled a card from her pocket that I instantly recognized. It was the same as the one she had used on the Ossa Trail. As the card hovered in front of her, the exact same creature sprang into existence behind her. The only difference was that on the disc behind it, the lightning symbol glowed instead of the wind one.

"Get ready…" said Kratos. He slowly drew his sword.

The Guardian first targeted Lloyd while its master headed after Colette. What a surprise, her tactics were the same as before. Fortunately, this Guardian had an almost identical attack pattern to the last one except for the fact that it used lightning attacks instead of wind. It probably wouldn't be too hard to strike down.

Kratos, Lloyd and Genis were all focused on the Guardian, while Colette was simply trying to stay away from Sheena's attacks. I decided she could probably use some help. It didn't matter if I could land hits on Sheena or not, which was probably a not considering the Guardian protecting her, but I just had to keep her from attacking Colette and…

I noticed the card floating before her. Oh right! If I destroyed that, then the Guardian would instantly disappear! Alright, so my battle plan was settled.

"Keep that thing busy!" I told the others, and ran after Sheena.

She sensed my presence just as I'd snuck up on her, and whirled around just in time to avoid my spear.

"You'll have to do better than that!" she exclaimed, sending a row of cards streaming at me.

I managed to knock most of them back with my spear (although I _did_ suffer a few minor scrapes on my arms) and then swiped at the card. I missed, but my blade did open a long cut on her arm.

"Is that better?" I questioned through gritted teeth. "Look, why don't you just stop fighting for a minute so we can-?"

She cut me off with an angry cry, sending row upon row of cards after me. I couldn't block quite as many this time around, but I was still determined.

"_Please,_" I pressed. "Maybe we can work something out!"

"That's impossible! Just stop trying, because you can't possibly understand why I have to do this!" More cards came flying, and I barely blocked any. My body was covered in cuts with varying deepness. "_Pyre Seal!"_ The impact of this last card attack sent me flying back. I landed just beside Lloyd, who was busy blocking the attack of the Guardian.

"Having troubles?" he asked lightly. "Hah! _Demon Fang!"_

"Just a bit," I replied bitterly, jumping to my feet. Little did Sheena know that I understood perfectly well why she was trying to kill Colette. I knew that she must have felt like there was no other choice for her if she wanted to save Tethe'alla (assuming I was right), but that didn't mean I was just going to let her kill Colette. Sylvarant needed to be saved too.

I rejoined the fray. Colette was high in the air, swinging her chakrams down at Sheena. I succeeded this time in sneaking up on the assassin and administered a stab to her back.

"Ungh!" She grunted in pain and whirled around. She was still caught off guard, so I took the opportunity to slice through the card floating before her. I instantly heard the sounds of battle cease behind me. The Guardian was gone.

"Maybe I _don't_ understand," I said darkly. "But there's no way I'm going to sit back and watch you kill Colette either."

She narrowed her eyes at me. "You'll _pay_ for that!" She lunged at me in a flurry of punches and cards. I blocked and blocked and blocked because I couldn't do much else. She was really fast, and this stupid spear was just too heavy. However, I couldn't toss it aside and use my dagger because it was the only means I had of blocking her attacks.

Luckily, by this point, Kratos and the others had refocused their attention on Sheena so that me and Colette weren't entirely alone.

With everyone now putting pressure on the assassin, it didn't take long for her to lose her strength. Even when she _had_ though, she was still set on fighting.

"You won't win!" she shouted. She was covered in cuts and her breathing was labored, but she still sent a weak row of cards at Lloyd. He merely batted them away with his sword, a lot of them being sliced in half.

She dropped to her knees. "Argh! Why…why can't I win?" She pounded an angry, if weak, fist against the ground.

"Goodness and love will always win!" Genis declared proudly.

"Genis please don't bring up that stupid Dwarven Vow!" Lloyd snapped.

"'Goodness'?" she repeated with complete disbelief. "What do you mean 'goodness'? If you're good, I'm good as well!"

Lloyd shook his head. "Gah, not you too! Everyone, stop saying corny things!"

"What do you know?" she asked coldly. Her eyes reflected the dancing torchlight, or maybe they really were burning with an angry fire. "When you regenerate the world, my country will be _destroyed!_ I won't let that happen, I swear!"

This confirmed everything. Sheena was from Tethe'alla. She was trying to save it. I felt an odd guilt build up inside of me. It's not like she was doing this because she wanted to. If she wanted Tethe'alla to be safe, then she really had no other choice. And here we were, obviously her enemies because if we saved Sylvarant then all sorts of bad things would happen to the other world as the mana flow was reversed. We really must have seemed like the bad guys to her. But what could we possibly do…?

"Wait," said Colette, looking horribly confused. "What are you talking about? If…if I regenerate the world, then everyone will be saved…right?"

Sheena looked fed up. "_This _world will be saved!"

"This world…?" Raine repeated.

Sheena pulled another of those small grey orbs from her pocket. She threw it down and smoke filled the chamber.

"Stop!" Raine coughed. "Who are you? So you're not alone?" All of her questions went unanswered as the smoke slowly cleared, and Sheena was nowhere to be seen.

"This world?" Lloyd repeated uncertainly. "What did she mean?

"I can only imagine," I murmured.  
Kratos appeared to be deep in thought. "That girl…is she…?"

"Do you know her?" asked Genis.

There was a long pause before he finally responded with, "No. Let's get out of here."

I frowned. That was weird. While Raine seemed to have her own theories about Sheena, Kratos acted like he might know something as well. I didn't have much time to ponder it because we were already heading out of the tomb.

It was sunset when we got outside. We would probably have to camp here for the night, which I wasn't too thrilled about. There weren't any monsters around or anything, but that tomb was just _filled_ with skeletons. Who knew if they could come out of it or not…?

Colette started to sway as we made our way down the steps. Recognizing the signs of her fainting, Lloyd hurried to steady her.

"Colette!"

"It's the Angel Toxicosis again," Raine observed. "Let's hurry and let her rest."

"Are you okay?" Lloyd asked her gently.

She sighed. "I'm sorry to trouble everybody again…"

She seemed to be doing alright, so he released his hold on her a little bit. "Don't worry about that, but-" He cut off as her knees gave way and she fell to the ground, pulling Lloyd down with her. She threw her hands out to catch her fall.

"Oww…" Lloyd groaned.

"Colette, are you okay?" Genis asked in alarm.

She didn't answer him. A puzzled look crossed her face.

"C-Colette?" he repeated hesitantly. "What's wrong? Did it hurt? Did you hurt yourself?"

She blinked. "N-No, I'm fine." She giggled nervously. "I just blanked out for a moment."

Lloyd remained silent, and I knew he was seeing what I saw. Colette clenched one fist before standing up. That fist remained tightly closed. No one else seemed to notice the dark smear of spilt blood on the stones where she'd fallen. That also meant that no one else noticed the fact that she was applying pressure to her cut open hand, showing not the slightest signs of pain. Lloyd didn't know what this meant. I knew all too well.

* * *

Colette and I sat slightly apart from the rest as dinner was finished. She knew immediately what I'd wanted to ask her.

"You cut your hand," I said quietly. "I saw the blood on the ground."

She nodded slightly. "Um, yes I did." She then unfolded her fist. She had clearly cleaned her hand off since she fell, but blood continued to seep from the gash in her hand.

I inhaled sharply. "That looks like it really hurts." When she didn't respond, my suspicions were confirmed. "But it doesn't, does it?"

"No…it doesn't. None of the wounds I got from the battle with Sheena did either." Now that I thought about it, I hadn't heard her give one cry of pain in that whole fight, even when it was just her and Sheena and she suffered hits.

I looked up from her hand. "Well then, what does that mean?"

"I…I don't know. Or maybe I do. Um, Aurelia…I don't think I can feel anything anymore."

I flinched. I'm not sure why, but I did. Somehow, this was way worse than not eating or sleeping. This was…well I wasn't sure. Anger was beginning to cloak any thought that I had.

"This isn't fair," I said, "and you know it."

She looked not at me, but through me, as though all she could see were her own thoughts. "I know it seems like a lot to give up, but…"

"It's for world regeneration, so that makes it okay?" I finished bitterly. She shrunk back at my cold tone. "Look Colette, I'm starting to think that…" A warning tickle formed in my throat. I knew what would happen should I continue that train of thought. I shook my head. "Never mind. My point is, none of this is fair. You didn't _ask_ to be turned into an angel. You didn't _offer _to give up all these things that make you human."

"I was chosen," she whispered. "Aurelia, it really _is_ for the sake of Sylvarant! So many people will have such better lives when the world is regenerated. If I can make this world a better place, then…then I'm willing to make this sacrifice."

"It wouldn't matter if you were _willing_ or not! You don't have any _choice!"_ I couldn't understand this anger I was starting to feel towards the situation. Towards Cruxis. It felt like hatred, but how could I possibly _hate_ Cruxis? Hating Cruxis meant hating Lord Yggdrasill. And there was no way I could ever hate him. Still, he was behind everything. If he'd wanted to change the way this stupid world regeneration worked, he would have found a way.

More than ever now, I wanted to hear what he had to say about all of this.

"Aurelia, I'm sorry…" said Colette.

I shook my head. "N-No, _I'm_ sorry. I shouldn't have yelled at you like that." I breathed a deep breath. "Um, Lloyd's coming over here. Hide your hand."

She nodded and, wiping off any blood on the grass, quickly closed her hand into a fist.

"Colette, can I talk to you?" he asked.

She exchanged a look with me and I shrugged.

"Um, sure Lloyd!" She forced cheer into her voice. The two walked a couple feet away, but I still managed to make out what they were saying.

"Colette, let me see your hand," he said abruptly.

"Huh? Why?" she said nervously.

"Just show me!"

She flinched slightly at his harshness, but surrendered her hand to him. He grabbed it in alarm, and she didn't even react.

"You're hurt!" he exclaimed. "It must have happened when you fell. Look how much you're bleeding!"

Colette wrenched her hand away and took a couple steps back. "But it doesn't hurt!"

He stared at her. "What?"

"Uh, I mean, it doesn't hurt…that much…"

Lloyd took a few steps back. His face was unreadable. "Colette…can I talk to you for a sec?"

"I-I thought we already were talking, Lloyd."

"You know what I mean. Go wait for me over there, okay?"

"Um, okay…" She walked off to the side slightly, where I knew I'd have no chance of hearing them speak. I could barely even see her.

Lloyd returned to the group and said to Genis, "Hey Genis, do you think you can make Colette and I some coffee? Make sure it's extra hot, too."

Genis looked slightly confused, but he agreed to make the coffee all the same. A few minutes later Lloyd had both cups in had and was walking back over to Colette. I was curious over what the coffee was for, but I still had a sneaking feeling that I knew.

Since I was sitting alone, Raine came over and sat down next to me. I had been just _waiting_ for it.

"You know what we need to discuss, don't you?" she asked me gravely.

I nodded. "I coughed again. It wasn't as bad because I tried to hold it back, but…"

"And once again, it happened at a seal. It's odd, because it doesn't seem to happen until Remiel appears to Colette." She cast a sideways glance at me to gauge my reaction. My eyes had widened ever-so-slightly, and that was enough for her. "It has something to do with him, then?"

I didn't respond, which was an answer in itself.

"So it does." She thought about it a moment. "But what is it that you could possibly be trying to tell us? Unless…"

I was immediately alert. "Raine? Unless?"

She shook her head. "Ah, no, it's nothing. The thought was gone before I could quite grasp it, but I'm sure it was nothing."

I didn't buy it for one second. She was hiding something. "Are you sure? Is it about Remiel? Or Colette? Or-?"

"I just thought perhaps it had something to do with what will happen when Colette becomes a true angel. None of us really have much knowledge about it."

That definitely wasn't it, but now that the subject was raised, I was curious. I wracked my brain for an answer, but I couldn't quite remember what happened to the Chosen Ones who succeeded. What did becoming a true angel entail?

"Anyway," she continued. "We're at least a bit further than we were before. We are now able to place a loose reasoning behind your condition. We'll just have to keep an eye on it." She got up to leave, but I stopped her with one last, sudden question.

"Raine, um, I know this is kind of random, but…who do you think Sheena is?"

She paused slightly. "I can only speculate theories, Aurelia. She certainly is a strange one." That was all she had to offer me before she walked away.

I sat there in my own thoughts for a while. I'd been getting used to it lately. Eventually, as I was falling asleep, Colette came back over and she was strangely quiet.

"Colette? What happened?" I whispered.

"Lloyd knows," she said. She was staring at her hands, and her voice sounded like someone would when they were crying. However, her face was perfectly dry. "He figured it out, Aurelia."

"Oh…" That was all I could think to say. Lloyd was the _last_ person she wanted to know, and know he did. She must have been pretty upset about it. "Well, um, does he know that _I_ know?"

She nodded quickly. "Yes, I told him…he was really upset, Aurelia. He was crying…crying for me. It made me want to cry too but…but I couldn't. I can't anymore. He hugged me and I couldn't even feel it."

Maybe she couldn't cry, but I was close to it. A couple stray tears ran down my face. "Yeah, but hey," I said with a sort of sad sarcasm. "Whatever it takes to become an angel, right?"

She smiled sadly at my twisted attempt at a joke. "Whatever it takes."

* * *

**:c  
I had a dream last night that me and all the people I went to school with were trapped inside it and it was kind of like the Hunger Games. We had these weird colored wells that led to hidden passages and all this other cool stuff, and we had to hide from these guards.**

**Anyways, that was totally irrelevant, I just thought it was kinda cool. Please review! :)**


	15. Destroyed

**OH MY GOD IT'S MARCH BREAK WHERE I AM!**

**Hahaha sorry, I'm quite excited about this fact. March break means sleeping in, staying up late, fanfiction, and video games. I am absolutely thrilled.**

**On that note, I hope you enjoy~! :)**

**EDIT: Ugh, I really hate reading back on these chapters sometimes. I always find idiotic mistakes. *Siiigh* I should really learn to read over things more before I upload them XD**

* * *

"Hey Aurelia…"

I froze at the sound of Lloyd's voice, something I'd been doing a lot that morning. After about four times, I imagined it was starting to become a little obvious that I was avoiding him, but I just did _not_ want to have the conversation he was looking for. For him, the information was brand new, the anger over Colette's loss of humanity still boiling beneath his skin. Of course, I wasn't the happiest about it right now either, but that didn't mean I needed Lloyd around to make me say something I might regret.

Besides, I just couldn't stand to look into his eyes. One glance and I'd been overcome by a flood of emotions -anger, sadness, and even helplessness at the thought that there was nothing he could do to help her. I knew this because I was all too used to those feelings. I didn't want someone else telling me how justified they were.

"Aurelia," he said again, more insistently this time.

He was right behind me. I couldn't just walk away and pretend like I hadn't heard him. He would _know_ I was avoiding him then.

Instead, I turned around slowly and plastered a fake smile on my face. "Um, hi Lloyd! What is it?"

He threw a quick glance around to make sure no one was within hearing distance. Genis was packing up everything from breakfast, and Kratos, Colette and Raine were discussing our next course of action. Colette looked a little distant in the conversation she was partaking in, leading me to the conclusion that she had zoned out and was eavesdropping.

"It's about Colette," he finally whispered. "Can…can we talk about that?"

"Oh…that."

He nodded. "Yeah. Uh, so…how long have you known she was like this?"

I pretended to think about it to stall for time, but I remembered the night perfectly. "Since…the Seal of Water. We talked about it that night."

"You knew all this time, huh…?" He stared at the ground, and I realized it must have hurt him that Colette would tell me, a girl she'd just recently met, this secret she'd been hiding and not him, who she's known her whole life.

"Lloyd…she…she didn't want you to worry."

"She had no problem telling _you," _he mumbled.

"Because she barely knows me," I argued. "I know that doesn't sound very convincing, but just listen! She _does_ trust you Lloyd. I think she probably trusts you more than anyone else. She's known you her whole life, right? She cares way too much about you to make you worry about her. When it comes to me, though, she practically just met me. She doesn't have to worry as much about…well…"

"I get it," he said. He then did something that surprised me. He grinned. "Well thanks for making all that up anyways."

I frowned in confusion. "What do you mean? I was being-"

"Nice try, Aurelia, but it's Colette we're talking about here. You know, the girl who wants to make friends with the girl who's trying to kill her? You're her friend. Of course she cares about you. She wouldn't want to worry you either!"

I tried to argue with him, but there wasn't much to say. He _was_ right. "I guess so. But when she told me…it really was just an accident I think. She just couldn't hold it in any longer." Plus, I had just confided in her with what had happened with the oracle stone. It was just a huge secret-swapping session, essentially. However, that was something Lloyd didn't need to know.

"It's fine, really."

I hesitated. "Lloyd…you look angry."

"Well of course I'm _angry,_" he hissed. "But no, it's not at her not telling me. It's at the fact that it's happening at all! It's…it's not fair!"

"I know Lloyd," I said sadly. "Trust me, I do. I gave the exact same rant to Colette last night when she told me she's stopped feeling. It's not fair, it's too much to give up, it isn't right, she didn't choose this-!" I cut off with a deep breath and raised an eyebrow at him. "Am I close?"

"How are you so casual about all of this!"

"_I'm not!"_ I snapped. "Believe me Lloyd; I'm far from 'casual' about this. In fact, it fills me up with so much anger sometimes that I just want to hurt someone. But this is exactly why Colette didn't want anyone to know. She just wants everyone to be happy."

"It _isn't_ fair," he mumbled, but he didn't outright argue with me.

"Anyways," I continued. "Let's smile and make it look like we're _not_ arguing for the others' sakes. Although I imagine Colette heard every word." I looked over at her. She wasn't looking directly at us, but her expression was a sad one.

Lloyd tried not to make it too obvious as he glanced over at her. "Oh man, I forgot about her angel hearing."

"Already?"

"Shut up!" he said through a fake grin.

I smiled. "You're an idiot."

As Lloyd laughed loudly at my insult, Raine motioned us over. We walked over and joined the rest of the group.

"So where to next?" asked Lloyd.

"The next seal should be at the Tower of Mana, right?" said Colette.

Raine nodded. "Yes. In that case, we'll be heading back to Luin."

Lloyd groaned. "So we're going to be travelling that stretch of road again for the _third_ time!"

"Quit complaining," said Kratos.

"Oh Kratos, he's not complaining," I said drily. "He's just making an observation." This ongoing argument caused him to sigh and press a hand to his forehead.

* * *

With the third trip across this stretch of land, everyone was starting to get a little bit testy. Lloyd and Genis did a lot of bickering, which would cause Raine to yell at them. And of course, Kratos and I got into a couple of spats as well. The only one who remained positive was, of course, Colette.

"That's the wrong answer again, Lloyd," Raine sighed. She was going over her students' homework from the night before. We should have been arriving in Luin that day.

"Do you _ever_ pay attention?" asked Genis.

"Shut up Genis!"

"Boys!"

"This is getting ridiculous," I muttered.

"How so?" Kratos questioned.

"Well everyone is fighting! I just can't wait until we reach Luin. It's such a peaceful town that everyone will just calm down and relax."

He gave a slight laugh and shook his head. "If you say so."

Resisting the urge to snap at him, I kept walking and just focused on reaching Luin. I remembered the people I'd met there last time, Lianne and Devin. I'd have to stop by Lianne's shop and thank her for the clothes again, as they were holding out excellently. And then there was Devin, who Colette and I had promised to go out to dinner with. I couldn't help but feel excited about that. After all, being raised the way I was, I had never really had the chance to meet any boys my age, or go on dates. The only man in my life was Yggdrasill, and although he looked my age now, he…well…there wasn't that kind of attraction there, even if a random blush _had_ formed in my cheeks.

_He's the unobtainable type anyway_, I assured myself. _Gah, why am I even thinking about this? We'll be in Luin soon. Just think about that._ And so I did, and kept walking.

Hours passed, and I smelled the smoke before I saw it. It had gradually begun to drift in front of my nostrils, filling them with a heavy, dangerous smell. I didn't think much of it until it became overpowering. The sky was suddenly darker, as well.

An apprehensive feeling had settled over the group. We turned the corner and…

And saw destruction.

"This is…" Lloyd breathed.

"Horrible!" Colette finished in a devastated whisper.

I could only stare in shock. The entire city was decimated. Flames engulfed every building in sight, most of which were half-falling apart or already burnt to the ground. The black smog from the fire was so heavy that it blocked out the sun, making it seem like an endless night. Ash was floating down from the sky like snow. The city of hope we'd visited barely two weeks ago was now a city of destruction.

Whether it was the heavy mix of smoke and ash filling my lungs, or the sheer pain that had erupted in my chest, I found myself unable to breathe.

"What happened here…?" said Raine. Her voice was barely audible as she, too, took the scene in.

"No…" The word escaped my lips as I finally managed to find air. It came in a sharp, wobbly gasp. It didn't sound like my own voice.

"We need to help!" Lloyd yelled. "There might still be people there!" He ran ahead to close the distance between him and the city. I forced my legs to move and follow the others.

I stopped as soon as we hit the main street, while the others immediately split to look for survivors. I couldn't think straight. What could possibly have happened here? We were _just _here! How much could have happened while…while…

The heat of the still roaring fires brought tears to my eyes. That had to be it. The fire…oh, the fire was _everywhere!_ Not a single building was still intact. Everything was destroyed, or at least, well on its way. I told myself I had to move, had to get out and help, but my feet felt frozen in place. It felt as though the second I tried to bend them my legs would snap and I'd fall to the ground. I'd burn along with the city.

"Aurelia!" Lloyd shouted. "Look for the wounded!"

Right. I had a job to do. I needed to look for the wounded. I forced my legs to move, and with a few wobbly steps, I began to search the rubble for any signs of life.

Life was hard to come by in all of this destruction. All I seemed to find was death. Dead bodies, so charred by the fire that they were rendered unrecognizable. I could have been looking at Colette for all the difference it made.

"What happened to you…?" I murmured to one of the bodies, once I realized it was another death. "Who did all this?" A possibility flitted through my head, but I refused to give in to it. Not yet.

The others found a few survivors. Most were horribly injured or on the brink of death. Raine was doing her best to heal them, but a lot of them were too far gone. The few they did find, they gathered together. The ones that were more able-bodied and had been fully healed took care of the remainders as the rest of the group continued to look.

I gritted my teeth together and kept searching. _Come on, come on, COME ON!_

I cupped my hands around my mouth and screamed, "IS THERE ANYONE OUT THERE! PLEASE, YOU HAVE TO ANSWER ME!"

A weak groan sounded from a nearby pile of rubble. Immediately alert, I started towards it but paused when I realized what the rubble was. It was the remnants of Lianne's shop. This got me moving twice as fast. I started tearing away bricks and even wooden beams in a desperate attempt to reach the person trapped underneath.

Finally, a face came into view. An old, sweet face that was coated in dirt and blood and ash, but was recognizable all the same.

"Lianne!"

She squinted up at me. "A-Aurelia…?" Her voice was paper thin. I could barely hear her. "Oh it must be a blessing from heaven, to see a friendly face like yours…before I die…"

"Don't say that!" I said pleadingly. I began to clear more rubble away. "I'm going to get you out of here, and then over to Raine, and she's going to heal you and you'll be fine!"

She reached a shaky hand up and touched the side of my face. "No dear…I know my time has come…"

Tears poured steadily down my face. "Lianne…what happened here? Is everyone…did they all…?"

"No, child. Everyone is…alive. Please…you have to…save…" Her voice completely faded as her eyes went unfocused. Her hand went limp and dropped from my face.

I felt like screaming. I felt like crying and begging her to come back, but I knew it was pointless. She was gone. There may have been other survivors in the city that needed help.

I stood, not bothering to try and wipe away my tears. Unfortunately, they were going to do whatever they wanted. Before I did, I gently passed a hand over Lianne's eyelids so that they were closed. "Good-bye…" I whispered.

It was then that I heard someone calling my name, possibly Colette. I rushed to the source to find the group stood in front of the now-ruined fountain, approaching an injured woman who happened to be…

"Sheena?" I said blankly. "What…?"

Apparently she hadn't noticed the group until I'd spoken. She glanced up at us. There was no hostility in her eyes. She simply looked tired. Defeated. She was covered in blood and bruises, her kimono torn to shreds.

"Oh…it's you guys…look, if you want to finish me off, now's your chance. I don't have any strength left to fight."

"You're badly hurt," Colette said concernedly. "Professor, please, heal her!"

Raine thought about it for a moment. "Alright, I will. But first, I want you to tell me what happened here. From how you've spoken in the past, it would seem you have companions, and this may be a trap to catch us off guard."

"Professor!" Colette exclaimed in alarm.

Sheena, however, let out a bitter laugh. "You're as devious as you look."

"Call me what you like," she said with a shrug.

Sheena gave a wide gesture to the surrounding carnage. "Well just take a look for yourself. The city is in ruins, there's not a living soul in sight-it should be obvious what happened. The Desians invaded."

So there it was. The possibility that had been nagging at my thoughts, voiced by the assassin before me. The Desians had done this. It didn't come as much of a shock to me. However, the numbness I'd been feeling over Lianne's death was already beginning to fade away. Slowly, it melted into anger. The anger I'd found myself feeling towards the Desians as we'd left Luin was back in full force. I clenched a fist to keep from shouting.

"_What?"_ Lloyd exclaimed. "Why? What has this city _ever_-?"

Sheena cut him off. "Do you know of the human ranch northeast of here? The people of this city had been hiding some folks who had escaped from the ranch. The Desians found out about it, and not only was the entire population forced to go to the ranch, but the city was destroyed. Those who resisted were killed, and those who hid burned along with their homes."

Lianne…

Colette seemed to be working it out in her head. "So…how were you injured?"

"It's nothing," she dismissed. "I was just a little clumsy."

"Clumsy?" a voice piped up. "What are you saying, Sheena? You took on all those Desians by yourself!" The voice had come from that same fox that had appeared at the Thoda Geyser. It sat on the ground nearby.

"Quiet, Corrine," she mumbled. "Anyway, um, have you…have you found any survivors?"

"A few," said Lloyd, still looking curiously at the small creature. "But we mostly only found bodies."

"O-Oh…I see."

There was a long moment during which no one spoke. Everyone seemed to be paying respects to the dead of this city. I thought of Lianne, of how I wished so desperately that I could have saved her.

Then I thought of Devin. A small spark of hope flared up. Perhaps he was still alive! Perhaps he hadn't died, but was…

The hope died. If he wasn't dead, that meant he was in the human ranch. I wasn't sure which one was worse.

A terrified cry pierced through my thoughts. I swiveled my head around in alarm.

"Ahhhhh! Help me! Someone please, help!"

A priest stumbled into view, falling onto the ground before us. The ground shook slightly as a huge, mutation stomped after him. It had long, club like arms and grotesque, veined skin and-

And it was Clara.

Lloyd's eyes widened as he realized this. "T-That's…!"

"It's Clara!" Raine exclaimed. "She managed to get all the way here!"

It really was shocking. The last time we'd seen Clara was in Palmacosta after we'd killed Kilia and she'd escaped.

As the priest crawled out of the way, Sheena struggled to her feet and readied her cards. "Stay back, you monster!" She sent a stream of cards at Clara, who batted them away and struck Sheena with her huge club arms. She went flying back, blood pouring freely from an already existing wound that had been made three times as bad from that attack.

Colette unfolded her wings and floated in front of Clara with her arms spread out. "Clara, please calm down!"

Clara hauled back again to strike Colette. She dodged the attack, losing her balance in the process and landing flat on her behind. Clara was already trudging away. There was no use in going after her, though.

"Colette, are you okay?" asked Genis concernedly.

"Y-Yes…" She rose to her feet. Already, the attention was shifted to Sheena, who was bleeding heavily from several wounds. Her face was sickly white.

"She's lost a lot of blood," Kratos observed. He seemed mildly shook by the sight of Clara.

"You're right," Lloyd agreed. All thoughts of rivalry or assassinations were pushed aside-Sheena needed our help. "Professor, please heal her."

"Professor, _please!"_ Colette begged.

Raine sighed, clearly fed up with all of the pleading being thrown her way. "Fine. But I swear, you're all way too softhearted for your own good." She knelt beside Sheena and held her staff before her. It glowed white-blue as she healed all of her wounds.

Finally, once she was all healed, Sheena rose to her feet. She couldn't look any of us in the eye as she asked, "W-Why…why did you…save me…?"

"Probably for the same reason you saved that man," Lloyd replied. He nodded his head towards the priest, who Genis had just directed over to the group of survivors.

She swallowed hard. "Um…thanks…" She continued to stare at the ground. The fox creature crawled up her side and onto her shoulder to whisper something in her ear. She nodded in an agreeing way.

"Right, um, listen. I know it's a selfish, unreasonable thing to say at his point, after everything that's happened between us but, um…I have a favor to ask of you."

Lloyd raised an eyebrow at this. "A favor?"

He wasn't the only skeptical one. This _was_ sort of what we'd been waiting for-for Sheena to accept the fact that we could help each other, and that we didn't have to fight. However, the fact that she was asking a favor of the people she'd continuously tried to kill was a little odd and hard to believe.

"I owe the people of this city for food and lodging," she explained quietly. "Please. Help me save these people. If you agree, I'll declare a truce with you and help in any way I can."

My first instinct was to say yes. She wanted to save these people. So did I. In fact, it probably would have been fairly accurate to say that so did everyone else in the group. Besides that, saving these people meant infiltrating the ranch. I had already decided back when we first came here that that was what I wanted to do. I had no problem with such a plan, even if it meant working with Sheena. However, it wasn't up to me. It was up to the others.

"Alright," said Lloyd.

Raine looked shocked. "Lloyd, are you serious?"

"I agree with Lloyd!" said Colette.

"Colette, not you too!"

"What about you?" Lloyd asked Kratos.

He shrugged. "I see no problem with it."

"Aurelia?"

"I've wanted to do something about that place ever since I heard about it our first trip here. The Desians…they have to pay for killing these people." I glanced at Sheena. "I think we can trust her for this much. Our goals are the same."

She didn't say anything, but nodded.

"What about _you_, Genis?" said Raine. "Surely you don't agree with…" She trailed off at the embarrassed look on her brother's face.

"Ah…um…I'm sorry Raine!" he blurted.

She sighed. "Fine! Do as you wish. I suppose if we look at it another way, it _does_ mean we can keep a close eye on her." She turned to Sheena. "For now, we're trusting you. That means no more attempts to kill Colette. Understand?"

"Of course I do. Only an idiot would betray the trust of someone who she's asked to help her. Until the people of this city are saved, we're on the same side." Her gaze traveled over Lloyd, Colette and I. "But don't think it changes anything, alright? Don't think you can go trying to 'reason' with me."

"Wouldn't dream of it!" Colette said happily. "I'm just happy we can be friends now!"

Sheena blinked. "Did I not just…? Ugh, never mind."

"We'll leave tomorrow," said Raine. "I've yet to finish the healing of those that we've rescued. Aside from that, we should do another quick sweep of the city to see if there's anyone else."

Which meant more sifting through the masses of the dead. I just couldn't wait.

* * *

It was later that night, but the smoke had not yet cleared.

With the help of some of Genis' water spells, we'd managed to extinguish the remainder of the fires, but the smoke…there was still traces of it floating through the air. Seeping into my lungs. Reminding me of what had been lost.

Now that I was alone, I'd allowed myself to cry over Lianne. Everyone else was off doing different things, whether it was washing the dishes from supper or speaking with the townspeople. I simply sat alone, trying not to cry too loudly so that Colette would hear.

The tears puzzled me, in a way. I'd only met Lianne once in my life. It hadn't even been that spectacular of a meeting. I'd simply tried on dresses with her, and then spoke lightly about our journey. But still…she had been so kind to me, like a grandmother I'd never had. No one with such a kind, genuine heart deserved to die this way. It wasn't fair.

My face was buried in my lap, so I didn't hear anyone approach. Just the voice.

"Um…are you okay?"

I glanced up at her. Her brown eyes were almost concerned, which looked horribly out of place compared to the usual anger and hatred that filled them.

"I will be," I said. "It's just…I found someone that I'd met last time we were here in the rubble. She died before I could even pull her out. She was…very kind to me."

"O-Oh, I see…may I ask who it was? I probably knew her…"

"Her name was Lianne," I replied hoarsely. "She was a seamstress."

"Lianne…so she's dead." Sadness laced her every word. She was genuinely hurt by her death.

I stared at her curiously. "You know, you're not a bad person…"

"Ugh, don't start," she groaned.

I shook my head. "No, I'm not trying to 'reason' with you. It just…it just makes me feel better about trusting you. You're hurt by this too."

"Of course I am," she said bitterly. She stared around at the destroyed city. Instead of being lit up in a blazing inferno, it was now cloaked in darkness. Practically a ghost town. "The Desians can't get away with this kind of stuff anymore. It's not right. Those monsters."

I'm getting better, I thought to myself. I didn't even flinch that time. I must be getting used to it.

"Not to try and…convince you, or anything, but that means we're on the same side." I smiled tentatively at her.

"We've already established this," she said with slight annoyance. "Until the people from the ranch are saved, we're on the same side. That's all."

My smiled widened as a laugh bubbled up in my throat. "You're still on our side."

"Okay, yeah. Sure. Whatever." She threw her hands up in frustration before walking away.

My smile faded as I watched her go and a new wave of sadness washed over me. It was just sad, the way that she tried so hard to hate us. The way she thought that if she hated Colette, it would be so much easier to kill her. Only it was impossible to hate Colette, yet she still had to kill her. It was probably tearing her up inside. When I thought of it like that, it was much easier not to be offended by the harsh things she might say.

The next morning, after it was decided that the townspeople were capable of taking care of themselves, we left for the human ranch. The trip was short, and we reached the ranch a couple hours past noon.

The Palmacosta ranch seemed like a joke compared to this one. We all stood hiding in the surrounding woods, getting a good look at what we'd be going up against.

Security was intense. The perimeter was crawling with patrolling guards, and it wasn't hard to imagine all of the surveillance they had in place. Even if we _did_ manage to get past all this security, it would probably be twice as intense on the inside.

As if reading my thoughts, Genis said, "Wow, the security is intense. It's completely different from last time."

"Yeah," Lloyd agreed. "Even if we get inside…"

Raine, of course, was already formulating a plan. "Hmm…there is a way, though."

Apparently, Lloyd was on the same track as her. "Professor, I bet you're thinking the same thing that I'm thinking, right?"

"What?" said Colette, looking between Raine and Lloyd. "What are we going to do?"

"We'll disguise ourselves as Desians and sneak in," Lloyd exclaimed proudly.  
"I see the gears in your head move quickly only at times like this," Raine remarked.

"W-What's that supposed to mean!" he exclaimed in an offended tone.

"Oh, I see!" said Colette. "If we look like Desians, we won't get caught!"

Sheena crossed her arms. "Well, well. That's quite a daring plan, Raine."

"I don't think it's the best plan either, but do we have any other choice?" she fired back.

We all shrunk further into the brush as a patrol consisting of three Desians approached.

"The Desian patrol is here," Kratos whispered. "What shall we do?"

"Let's do it!" said Sheena, a grin passing her face. Colette voiced her agreement.

"Okay," said Lloyd. "Then let's wait here for them to pass and then ambush them."

Oh the irony, I thought. I'm going to be sneaking into a human ranch, "disguised as a Desian", when by all rights I should be able to just walk right in.

We waited until the group passed right in front of us before the fastest of the group (which would be Lloyd, Sheena and Kratos) darted out of the shadows and quickly felled the three Desians before dragging them back into the brush.

"That was almost too easy," I mumbled as I stared at the dead bodies. They hadn't even seen it coming…

"Who cares?" said Lloyd. "We have the uniforms, right? Let's infiltrate the ranch already!"

"Wait," said Raine. "We have to decide who will be the Desian."

"What do you mean, Professor?"

"We've only killed three Desians, Lloyd," she pointed out. "Aside from that, it looks as if only one of the uniforms we obtained can be used. The rest are already too covered in blood." It was true. The three Desians were all female anyway, and two of the three were beginning to soak with blood. "Everyone else is going to have to act as prisoners."

"Oh, me! Me!" he exclaimed, shooting his hand into the air. "I'll be the Desian!"

"This is not a game," Kratos said impatiently.

Raine was already beginning to remove the salvageable uniform. "I shall act as the Desian."

"Hey, that's not fair, Professor!"

"It's not about fairness," she all but snapped at him. "This will look the most natural. Besides, this is a uniform for females. You won't be able to wear it."

He looked profoundly disappointed.

Meanwhile, Sheena was pulling her own uniform out of her bag.

"…and why do you have Desian clothes too?" Lloyd asked her suspiciously.

She blinked. "I was going to infiltrate the base on my own, of course."

Raine and Sheena proceeded further into the trees so that they would be concealed as they changed into their uniforms. A few minutes later, we were ready to proceed.

Raine took led the front of the group up to the main gates and Sheena trailed behind us. I still felt ridiculous with the whole set up. Pretending to be a prisoner to the Desians when I _was_ one? Ridiculous.

But necessary, I reminded myself. Oh, unless you want to give yourself away.

"Stop!" the guard manning the gate bellowed as we approached.

"We've done it!" Raine exclaimed joyfully.

"…done what?"

"We've found the wanted criminal, Lloyd Irving!" She reached back, grabbed Lloyd roughly by the wrist and pulled him forward.

"Let go of me you rotten Desian!" he spat, struggling with all his might to get free.

"Lloyd, be careful!" Colette pleaded.

"Silence!" Sheena snapped.

This little display seemed to convince the guard. "Wow! It really is him! And you even caught him alive, too! Nice work."

"I want to turn him over to the Five Grand Cardinals immediately," Raine continued briskly. "Let me through."

He nodded. "Understood." The gate shuddered and then slowly opened. "Go on in!"

It was so odd to just waltz on through the front doors of the ranch when we'd had to be so discreet about it last time. The inside wasn't nearly as guarded as outside, but there were still quite a few Desians patrolling. We simply walked right past them as Raine sought out the control room. The layout was completely different from the Palmacosta ranch (as there were no troublesome portal mazes) but it was still fairly easy to navigate. We had just rounded a corner when someone slammed right into Raine, knocking her to the ground.

My eyes widened as the young man, uttering curses, jumped to his feet and started to flee once more, only to be grabbed by the two Desians who had been pursuing him.

"Nice try," one of the Desians spat. He grabbed a fistful of the boy's ashen blond hair and yanked his head back. "You actually thought you were going to escape?"

"I got past you idiots, didn't I?" he retorted. He hadn't even noticed Colette or me yet.

The other Desian sighed and turned to Raine. "You're heading to the holding cells anyway, right?" He gestured to us "prisoners". "Would you mind bringing this troublemaker back with you? We need to go report the escape."

"No problem," said Raine.

The boy was shoved into our group and the Desians left.

"You know I'll just try and escape again," he said bitterly.

"Don't bother," said Sheena. "If you want to get out of this place, then you'll stick with us."

He blinked in confusion. "W-What?"

She removed her helmet. "We're not really Desians. We're here to save everyone."

His eyes widened in recognition. "You…you're that Sheena girl that always comes to the town! You really aren't Desians!" His eyes travelled over the group until they reached me and Colette, who stood side-by-side.

"You…" he breathed. He looked caught in a daze for a moment, before breaking into a grin. "Damn, I never thought we'd meet again in a place like this."

I couldn't help myself. I ran to him and hugged him fiercely. Again, I'd only met him once, but I was just overwhelmed with relief and happiness at his safety.

"Devin…" I whispered. "Thank Martel you're safe!"

He acted surprised for a moment before hugging me back. "Heh, I didn't think I made _that_ great of a first impression. My own charm surprises me sometimes." He pulled away from me, still keeping an arm wrapped around my shoulders. "I can't believe you all actually came to save us!"

"There was no way we were going to let the Desians get away with this," said Lloyd. "Of course we came to save you!"

"Before we attend to the prisoners, we still have to reach the control room," said Raine. She turned to Devin. "Will you be alright to accompany us?"

He nodded. "Of course! Just lead the way."

As we continued through the ranch, I felt much lighter. I hadn't realized how worried I'd been about Devin, and now that he was here, alive and well, I felt immense relief.

"So, you know what I'm going to ask," Devin began.

I raised an eyebrow. "Oh, do I?"

"You should." He paused for a few long seconds before saying, "How is Luin?"

"Oh…" I stared at my feet. "Devin, I'm not going to lie to you. It's…it's pretty bad."

"I see…" Noticing my sad expression, he took my hand. "Aurelia, hey. Don't look like that. It's not like it's your fault, right? I'm glad you told me. It can be rebuilt!"

"It's not just that," I mumbled. "There were…a lot of bodies."

He didn't respond. He just squeezed my hand and when I looked up at him he smiled.

"You know…" I said, glancing down at our interlocked fingers. "You're awfully touchy towards me considering you've only met me once before.

He shrugged. "What can I say? You made a hell of an impression on me. I was counting down the days until you returned so we could have that dinner."

I ducked my head and blushed. "Um, how about we think about that after we get out of the ranch, alright?"

"Alright," he laughed, slowly letting my hand drop.

We reached the control room not long after that. It was pretty similar to the one in Palmacosta, with rows of computers and machines and projectors. The only difference was that in this one there was a giant screen that pictured a room that held a series of conveyor belts.

Raine, having already changed back into her regular clothing, looked through the window. "It looks like this is an Exsphere manufacturing plant."

"…so it would seem," Kratos said shortly.

"These are all Exspheres…?" Lloyd breathed as he took in the hundreds of gems being transported in containers by the conveyor belts. "Incredible…"

Raine and Kratos soon tired of watching the Exspheres and crossed over to the control panels. The rest of us stayed watching the screen.

Colette perked up and turned towards the nearby door. "Shh! I hear voices coming from the next room."

We all fell silent.

"I don't hear anything…" Genis said at last.

Lloyd exchanged a wary look with me. "Be careful anyway," he said.

I nodded in agreement. If Colette heard something, it was best to pay attention to her. I doubted her angel hearing would make any mistakes.

I peeled my eyes away from the screen and started over to speak with Raine and Kratos. As I passed in front of the door, it opened, and three Desians barged in. They were panting heavily, as though they'd been running from something.

"Raine!" I cried, reaching for my spear. I froze when I realized who the leader of the trio was. It was Botta from the Triet base.

He locked eyes with me. "Aurelia? What the hell…?"

"Uh-oh…" said Lloyd. "It's those Desians we ran into in the Triet Desert!"

"They still think we're Desians," one of them snickered under his breath.

"Sir, this is the perfect chance!" the other exclaimed. "They have nowhere to run!"

Kratos slowly drew his sword and approached them. "Are you looking for a fight?"

Botta held a hand out to stop his men from attacking. "Wait. Kratos is with them. We'll retreat for now."

Lloyd glanced at Kratos nervously. "You know each other?"

"I suppose," Kratos said after a slight pause, "if you mean the fact that we ran into them at Iselia and Triet."

"We'll have other chances to complete our mission," Botta continued. "Right now, let's hurry and leave this place while we have the chance."

"Wait!" I exclaimed, running forward a few steps. "Who are you? And how do you know me?"

"Some questions are best left unanswered," he said cryptically before turning to his men. "Quickly! Before he catches up to us!"

The three barreled past us and fled out the door we'd entered.

"Don't let them get away!" Lloyd shouted. He and Colette had begun to chase after them when the same door Botta had entered through opened to reveal three Desian mages. Seeing Lloyd and Colette, they all quickly began to cast spells.

Just as the spell (which turned out to be a huge Fireball spell conjured by all of their powers combined) was cast, Kratos jumped in front of Colette and, holding up his sword, cast Guardian. The spell fizzled out as it hit the green barrier.

"Colette! Kratos!" Lloyd shouted. "Are you guys alright?"

Colette lowered her arms, which she'd been using to shield her face. "Y-Yes, I'm okay."

"Well, this is a surprise."

I turned to face the source of the new voice. The trio of mages parted to reveal a man with pale blond hair and cruel, slanted eyes. His lips were curled up into an evil smile.

"Kvar…" I heard Sheena hiss.

"He's the one who led the attack on Luin," Devin said darkly. I found his hand and squeezed it tightly, not only to control his anger, but mine as well. This was the monster that killed all those people. That killed Lianne.

"When I heard we had some rats, I assumed it was the renegade, Botta," Kvar continued, pacing further into the room. "But instead I find the wanted inferior beings…But I must say, I'm quite impressed that you're still alive after that attack."

"Who are you?" Lloyd exclaimed.

The man's amusement increased. "_You_ barge into my ranch and demand _my_ name?"

"Wow, Lloyd, isn't that usually the other way around?" Genis questioned.

"Genis!" he snapped. "This is not the time!"

"He's Kvar, one of the Five Desian Grand Cardinals," said Kratos, and I heard something startling in his voice – fury. Barely contained, blazing rage.

Kvar laughed lightly. "Ah, so I see that some of you know me." His eyes then trained on Lloyd's Exsphere hungrily. "It's just as Forcystus said. That Exsphere is without a doubt the product of my Angelus Project!" He snapped his fingers and another group of Desians entered from behind us, trapping our escape route.

Sensing how trapped we were, Colette unleashed her chakrams on Kvar. He jumped out of the way, giving us a very small window of opportunity to escape.

"C'mon, let's move!" Lloyd ordered, and we all hurried out the door.

The door led to the room we'd seen with the Exspheres on conveyor belts. Ignoring the Desians we met, we hurried along the pathway, sometimes even hopping onto the belts themselves to quicken our escape.

Finally though, the path ended and we reached a dead end. Above us was a window that showed humans being transported along another conveyor belt. The only thing was, when the conveyor belt reappeared beside us, there were no humans, merely the same containers we'd been seeing.

"W-What is this…?" said Lloyd, horror slowly beginning to trace his features.

"This is where the Exspheres are removed from the host bodies."

I whirled around at the sound of Kvar's voice. He'd caught up to us, and was now merely watching with that same amusement as we stared confusedly at the conveyor belts.

"H-Host bodies…?" I repeated, swallowing down the inexplicable revulsion that I was beginning to feel. He couldn't mean…

Even Raine looked shook. "Do you mean to say Exspheres are made from…from human bodies…?"

"Not exactly," he replied calmly. "Exspheres are dormant at first. They extract nourishment from humans to grow and awaken. Human ranches are Exsphere manufacturing plants. Why else would we waste our time raising and taking care of these inferior beings?"

I felt like I was going to be sick. There was no way what Kvar said could be true. That would mean that humans died to create these Exspheres. There was no way! It wasn't true, it _wasn't!_

"T-That's terrible!" Genis cried in dismay.

"'Terrible'?" Kvar repeated with a humorless laugh. "Terrible is what _you've_ done. Stealing and using Exspheres that we've invested so much time and care in creating. You deserve to be punished."

Desians were slowly closing in on us, blocking any chance we had of escape.

"Dammit! We're surrounded…" said Lloyd.

"Lloyd, your Exsphere was to be an offering to Lord Yggdrasill. It's high time you gave it back."

"Lord Yggdrasill…?" I choked. He was behind all of this?

"I suppose that's the name of your leader," Raine deduced.

"Yes. Now, for the sake of our great leader, Lord Yggdrasill, and for the sake of my own success, I need that Exsphere!" He held his hand out expectantly.

"Again!" Lloyd shouted. "What's so special about my Exsphere?"

"Hmm, you don't know anything, do you?" Kvar said coldly. "That Exsphere was cultured on host body A012, human name, Anna-your mother."

Lloyd's face fell blank with shock. "W-What?"

"She took it and escaped from the facility," he went on. "Of course, she paid for the crime with her life."

Anger was slowly spreading across Lloyd's face. "You killed my…"

"Now, now, don't blame me. I'm not the one who killed Anna." He smiled cruelly. "Your father did."

"_Liar!"_ Lloyd raged.

"Please. When her Key Crest-less Exsphere was removed, Anna turned into a monster…and your father killed her. Pathetic, don't you think?"

"Do not speak ill of the dead," said Kratos. The deadly rage in his voice was rising.

Kvar laughed loudly. "Who cares? They were both just a couple of filthy _humans_-worthless maggots."

Lloyd's voice was deathly quiet as he hissed, "Don't you _ever_ talk about my parents like that!" He drew both his swords, no doubt intent on taking on Kvar and anyone else that wanted to get in his way. The Desians continued to close in on us.

"Lloyd, stop!" I cried. I grabbed his arm roughly and forced him to look at me. "I want to kill him too, but there's no way we'll win at this rate!"

His eyes were filled with too many emotions to sort. Rage ruled over all of them. However, he knew I was right.

"I'll handle this!" Sheena suddenly exclaimed. She pulled another one of those cards from her kimono and stared down at it, a sad expression crossing her face. "I'm going to use the last one, Grandpa." With that, she threw the card down and a Guardian appeared. It emitted a brilliant white light, and I felt the floor disappear from beneath my feet as we were whisked away from the ranch.

* * *

**I don't know why, but that whole ranch part gave me trouble. It's just oddly planned out.**

**Anyways, Devin is back! :D Hoorah!  
Sorry, I was up late last night. I'm in a weird mood XD  
Feel free to review. Until next time~! :)**


	16. Chasing Ghosts

**Alright. So to start off! *cues drumroll***

**Tah-dahhh! This story has reached 2000 hits! I don't know if this is any big feat or not, but I certainly am proud of it. Thanks so much everyone for reading it! :D**

**Now then, this chapter is a bit shorter than usual, but I can assure you that some good stuff happens in here! Well, important anyway. Just read and you'll find out :)**

* * *

When everything was settled and I felt solid ground beneath my feet again, the light cleared to reveal the remains of Luin. We were safe, for now.

"We're back in Luin," Lloyd observed. "Thanks Sheena, you really saved us."

"Don't mention it," she replied. "But…what now?"

"We'll think about that after," said Raine. "Right now, it's getting dark. Let's set up camp and decide what to do from there."

Everyone agreed to this idea, and began to unpack their things and settle down. Devin, having nothing but the clothes on his body, still stood standing. He stared at the ruined city with a haunted look in his eyes.

I approached him. "Devin…um, are you okay?"

"Would you like me to lie?" he asked quietly. "If so, then yeah, I'm completely fine."

"Kvar _will_ pay for this, Devin. I promise, we'll get revenge."

He turned to me. A slight smile was on his face. "You know, that kind of thing sounds funny coming from you."

I blinked in confusion. "Huh? W-Why?"

"…I don't know," he said after a long pause. "It just does." He let his smile widen. "Don't worry about me, Aurelia. I'll be fine as long as the prisoners are rescued. After all, a city can be rebuilt, but lives…" He shrugged as if to finish his point.

"But…but it's your home…" I argued weakly.

He shrugged again, something I was beginning to notice he did a lot. "What is home, really? To me, as long as you're with the people you care about; home is wherever you want it to be."

I smiled. "That's really nice."

"Well thanks!" he grinned. "Now, let's go get some dinner. Whatever that kid is cooking smells awesome."

I laughed and we both joined the rest of the group around the campfire. With everyone gathered together like this, the overall bad mood spread and intensified, because everyone was thinking about the same thing. With my attempt at comforting Devin, I'd almost forgotten.

_Exspheres…_ I watched the firelight light up the various Exspheres around the group. Kratos, Lloyd, Genis, Raine, Sheena–they'd all been fighting with the aid of human lives. I was disgusted. This was far worse than anything that I'd heard of upon arriving here. I thought I'd reached the final straw before, but that was nothing compared to this. My mind couldn't' even get a proper grip on the anger and horror I was feeling, and it all came back to one single thought that wouldn't leave my head.

_Lord Yggdrasill caused all this._

Everyone was staring down at their Exspheres almost guiltily.

"I just can't believe that Exspheres are made from human lives…" Sheena whispered.

"This is Marble's life…" said Genis. Silent tears were streaking down his face. "She was dying all that time…and I didn't even know…"

Lloyd was practically shaking with anger. "Argh…this…this _damn thing!"_ He snapped and ripped the Exsphere off of his hand. He drew his arm back to throw it when Colette cried out and stopped him.

"Lloyd, wait! What will you accomplish by taking that off? It's not just an Exsphere, it's your mother's life, remember?"

"You think I don't know that?" he yelled. "These things make a _mockery_ out of human life! It's all just some big joke to the Desians!"

"But we would have lost long ago, had we not had them," Kratos pointed out. I wanted to be angry at him over such a statement, but it was true. The Exspheres gave them strength, and without them, our battles probably would have been a lot tougher.

"Don't you think I know that?" Lloyd repeated angrily.

"Do you really?" Kratos continued calmly. "If you throw away that Exsphere now, do you really think you can finish this journey?"

Lloyd stared down at his hand, which was closed into a tight fist around the Exsphere. "Yeah, I know," he said bitterly. "Without these things, we're just a bunch of weak humans. We can fight because we have these. I _know _that. But how can that matter when Exspheres exist as a result of taking someone's life?"

"And? Those people didn't become victims because they wanted to, but I doubt they would want to be simply thrown away after being turned into an Exsphere."

Colette spoke up. "My opinion might not matter much because I don't use an Exsphere, but I believe the Desians will defeat us if we throw away our Exspheres now. And if that happens, more people will lose their lives to these stones. I don't want that to happen. I don't want this journey to be meaningless."

Lloyd still didn't look convinced, and even though I figured I was the _last _person who should be saying anything, I spoke anyway. "Lloyd, I know you hate Exspheres and the Desians. But the Desians all _use_ Exspheres. If you throw yours away, they'll be too strong. Those lost lives…they would want justice. Your _mom_ would want justice, Lloyd. If you fight Kvar with that Exsphere equipped, you'll be doing so with the help of your mother."

"My mother…" He squeezed his eyes shut. "I…I just don't know! I can't decide right now…I need to think." He jumped to his feet and ran off.

"Lloyd!" Colette called. She made to follow him but Kratos stopped her.

"Let him go. This is something he needs to decide on his own. If he takes too long to come back, then I'll go find him."

Sighing, she reluctantly sat back down. "Okay…"

I stared in the direction Lloyd went, wracked with guilt. If I had known about all of this, perhaps I could have done something to stop it. Perhaps I could have done something to change Lord Yggdrasill's mind…

I still found it incredibly hard to accept. This had all been going on right under my nose, and I was just too stupid to realize any of it. And now that I knew, I couldn't even share my grief with anyone. It was just going to stay bottled up inside until it eventually burst.

I felt a hand on my shoulder. "Hey, are you okay?"

_Devin…_I thought with a sort of dawning realization. I turned to find him staring at me with a concerned look on his face. Suddenly, I knew what I should do.

"Devin, um…can we go for a walk?"

He looked surprised. "Uh, yeah. S-Sure." He helped me to my feet, and after announcing that we were going for a walk, we started off.

It was quiet for quite a while as he waited for me to speak. He wasn't stupid; he obviously knew I had something on my mind. Thankfully, he was the type of person who would wait until I was ready to speak.

Finally, when I figured we were far enough away from Colette so that she wouldn't pick up anything we said, I stopped.

"Aurelia…?" he said uncertainly.

"I…I have to tell you something Devin." This was it. I was actually going to do it. "Um, something that no one else in the group knows."

"Uh, okay…so tell me."

I felt my pulse quicken. "Uh, well, the thing is…I'm really scared that if I tell you, you'll never think of me the same again…I'm scared you'll hate me."

His eyes widened. "_Seriously?"_ He stepped closer and placed his hands on my shoulders. "Aurelia, listen. I've barely met you, but I can already guarantee that no matter what you tell me, I could never hate you. I haven't stopped thinking about you for two weeks. That should say something. Besides, I'm sure it can't be _that_ bad."

I think I might have started crying then. I couldn't manage to say anything, so I with a shaking hand I lifted some hair to reveal one of my pointed ears.

He raised an eyebrow. "You're a half-elf? Uh, not to be insensitive or anything, but…so? You really think I'm that racist that I'd care if-"

"Well that's the thing," I said shakily. My voice was thick with tears. "I'm not _just_ a half-elf…I'm…well…well I'm a Desian," I finished quickly. I squeezed my eyes shut, causing tears to fall down my face.

I expected a lot of things. I expected him to start completely denying it, or yell and curse at me, or even attack me. If someone you barely knew told you they were a Desian, then that would be a reasonable reaction. I really don't know what I was thinking.

…what I _didn't_ expect was him pulling me into a hug.

"D-Devin…?" I choked. "W-What are you-?"

"I'm waiting for the rest of the story," he said gently. "So go on."

I pulled away from him, stumbling backwards as I did. "What are you talking about? I'm a Desian. You're supposed to be angry. You're supposed to _hate_ me!"

"Well do you _want_ me to hate you?" he asked calmly.

"Of course not!"

"Good, because I don't." He sounded so sure of himself, and I couldn't understand why.

"Why do you automatically assume there's some kind of explanation behind it?" I asked.

He shrugged. "Because. You're journeying with the Chosen of Regeneration, you helped blow up the Palmacosta ranch, and you intend on saving the people of Luin. You've practically turned against your own people, so there's obviously _some_ kind of story behind it."

I stared at him. There wasn't one trace of anger in his eyes. If I had told someone like Lloyd, then I would probably be engaged in a fight to the death right now for how angry and betrayed he would have been. But Devin? He simply calmly stood there, waiting for me to explain myself. He trusted me enough to know that I wouldn't do anything to hurt my friends.

"I was lied to," I said at last. "About everything. Ever since I can remember, I was taken care of by the Desians, more specifically their leader, Lord Yggdrasill. They trained me to be an excellent fighter and told me all about the "duties" of my people. They made it seem like I was a part of something great. That the Desians existed to help people and bring evil to justice. And then I stumbled into the real world one day and…everything changed." I went on to tell him everything else up until this point- getting captured by Botta, joining Colette's group, finding out every evil thing the Desians had done, activating the oracle stone, and so on.

Through the whole thing, Devin sat quietly and let me pour out everything that I'd been keeping inside for a long time. Of course, I wasn't able to tell him about Remiel or my suspicions about Kratos, but I _did_ tell him about the coughing fits and how it might be dangerous to the group.

He didn't speak right away when I was finally done. He let the information sink in before nodding slowly. "Wow. I gotta say, that's quite a story. You've…you've been through a lot, haven't you?"

I nodded. "You're pretty much the first person I've told any of this to. It's been so hard to keep all of it a secret from the others, although I think Kratos may suspect something."

"So…you don't think there's even a _chance_ any of them will understand?" he asked skeptically. "Because I think they're pretty good people, especially Colette."

I shook my head. "Devin, I didn't even know if _you_ would understand. I just had to tell _somebody_. I felt like I was going to burst."

"So you trusted me, some guy you barely know, but not your friends?" I knew what he was doing. He was trying to convince me to tell the others.

"Stop trying to make me feel guilty," I told him irritably. "Believe me; I've become so accustomed to the feeling that it's not going to make a difference. They've lost so much more to the Desians, Devin. Plus, it's gone so far that…I don't think they'd forgive me for hiding it for so long."

He sighed. "It's your choice, I guess. I just…I hate to see you hurting like this. You're much prettier when you smile."

"You're such a charmer," I said sarcastically, but I blushed all the same. "Listen…I'm really happy you understand. You don't know how relieved I feel getting all that off my chest."

He reached forward and took my hand. "I would have been stupid not to. Look, do me a favor and try not to worry as much about feeling guilty. Consider being a Desian something of your past. You're just a regular half-elf now, okay?"

I suddenly found myself at a loss for words when I looked up at him. The relief I felt was so overwhelming that I started crying again.

"Aw, come on, don't cry!" He hugged me tightly. "Shh, it's okay!"

"I-I'm fine…" I…sort of said. "Thank-you…" Since I couldn't stop crying, the two of us just stood there for a while, neither of us saying a word. It was more comforting than I possibly could ever describe.

* * *

"Well, what now?" Kratos asked the next morning.

All eyes were on Lloyd. After all, it pretty much came down to him. He didn't speak for a long time, and he seemed to be giving it some final thought.

"There is one thing I've realized," he said finally. "I'm certain that my mother must have wanted to live longer than she did. Therefore, I'm going to live…for myself, and for my mom, too."

"In other words, you're going to fight," Kratos summarized.

He nodded resolutely. "Yeah. And I'm going to break this cycle. For the sake of preventing anymore victims like Marble and my mom. I'm going to help Colette on her journey to regenerate the world."

"Yeah," said Genis. "Me too. I'm going to fight on Marble's behalf as well."

"Me too!" said Colette with a determined smile. "I'm going to regenerate the world as quickly as I can."

"Well then all this means that there's only one thing left to do," I said. "There are still prisoners in Kvar's ranch. We need to shut it down."

"Kvar will undoubtedly increase the security now," said Kratos. "We won't be able to get in easily."

I sighed. "And I doubt they'll fall for our disguises a second time."

Raine turned to Devin. "There were people who had escaped from the ranch, correct? Would any of them have survived?"

"Any of them I knew of either died in the fire or were captured again," Devin replied. His eyes then lit up. "Oh no, wait! There was this one guy who wasn't from Luin. I think he went back to Hima, actually. Uh what was his name…?"

"Do you mean Pietro?" Sheena asked. "Because I know him."

He snapped his fingers. "Yes! Thank-you!"

"Why do you know him?" Lloyd asked her.

"Does it matter?" she snapped. "I have my reasons. Anyway, yeah if we go to Hima to see him then maybe he could tell us how he escaped. There may be some sort of entrance that hasn't been discovered by the Desians."

Lloyd raised an eyebrow at her, but didn't ask anymore questions. "Alright then, I guess we're headed to Hima!" He turned to Devin. "Will you be joining us, or…?"

Devin glanced briefly at me before shaking his head. "I probably shouldn't. I think I should stay here with the survivors and let them know how everyone else in the ranch is. However, I do have a request…"

"Of course!" Colette said happily.

Genis rolled his eyes. "Colette, you don't even know what it is yet!"

Devin continued to speak. "Um, when you _do_ go to infiltrate the ranch…would you mind if I came with you?"

"No way," I said immediately. "Devin we just got you _out_ of there, and now you want to go back in? That's crazy!"

"_Please._ My dad and my little sister are in there! You don't even have to bring me to fight Kvar, which I'm assuming is part of the plan, but at least just bring me to help save the prisoners. I can bring them out or…or something! I just need to help in someway."

"I don't think it's a bad idea," said Raine. "If he helps escort the prisoners out of the ranch, then that leaves more of us to go fight Kvar. After all, I doubt we'll be able to stay as one group once inside. Some of us will have to help Devin with the prisoners."

"I guess you're coming then," I muttered.

He smirked. "It's quite sweet of you to worry about me, Aurelia. Makes me feel loved."

I rolled my eyes. "Anyway, um, we should be getting to Hima, right?"

"Yes, time is certainly of the essence," Kratos agreed. "Hima is quite far away. It could easily take weeks to reach it."

"We'll be back as soon as we can," I said to Devin, not meeting his eyes entirely. "…be careful, okay?"

He knew that I was being serious, so he nodded solemnly and said, "Don't worry, I will." He gently touched my arm and that was it. He was called over by one of the townspeople, and we were on our way soon after. I couldn't help but feel worried about him. The last time I'd left him for two weeks, Luin had been destroyed and he'd be captured. The trip this time was going to be much longer. Who knew what could happen during that time?

"He'll be okay," said Sheena after we'd been walking for a while.

I blinked. "Huh?"

"Devin," she explained. "I've known him for a little while, and he's pretty tough. You don't need to worry about him."

I laughed and shook my head, swinging my arms as I walked. "Wow. It's that obvious, huh?"

"Kind of," she said, laughing as well. It was the first time I'd ever seen the girl laugh. She was actually really pretty, but it had been a bit hard to see with all the anger she always showed. "But it's okay. Like I said, he'll be fine. There's no way he'd get himself killed knowing that you were coming back to him."

"He almost did last time," I frowned.

"But did he?"

"Okay, I get your point. I'll try not to worry. Thanks Sheena."

She shrugged. "It's no big deal. Just making sure you don't get distracted and end up killed by a monster."

I sighed. Well it _had_ been nice of her.

Noishe soon rejoined us a couple days into the journey, but other than that, not much happened for the first week or so. Although, there was this…"plan"…

"Hey Aurelia!"

I turned my head to see Colette beckoning me over. I was a bit wary. We were camped out for the night, and usually whenever that happened and Colette wanted to talk to me–it was something bad or life-changing.

Because of this, I was rather surprised when I walked over and she grinned and said, "Listen, I have a plan!"

"A plan…?"

"Yep! You know how Sheena is only joining us until we defeat Kvar?"

I internally groaned. Oh no. I could already see this one coming. This was a friendship plan.

"Y-Yes…" I said hesitantly, waiting for her to reveal this plan.

"Well, I was thinking that if we're reeeeally nice to her, then we can get her to be friends with us and she'll want to stay anyway!"

"Colette look," I began. "Sheena isn't our friend. I know you really want her to be, and to be honest? So do I. She seems like a pretty nice person. It's just that she has things going on with her that we don't know. Things that require her to kill you. Until we know what they are, it's going to be really hard to be her friend." I braced myself for the crestfallen expression, only it didn't come.

"Oh, I know _that_," she said brightly. "But my point is, if we can become close enough with her, then she'll probably tell us what's going on and we can help!"

I bit my tongue. Sadly, there was no way we could help Sheena. It would take a kind of power that none of us had. But I couldn't tell her that, of course, so I simply smiled and said, "You know, that's not such a bad idea. It just might work!"

Her smile widened. "Yes! So you'll help me then? I might get Lloyd to help out too."

"I'll do my best," I said with a nod. I looked over at Sheena, who sat slightly apart from the group talking to Corrine. Lloyd was walking over to join her with a grin on his face. "Although, it looks like Lloyd has had the same idea himself."

Colette followed my gaze and her smile widened even _further,_ if possible. "This is great! Sheena will definitely be our friend in no time!"

_Oh Colette. Poor, naïve Colette. If only everyone had as much faith as you._

_

* * *

_

Halfway through the third week, we reached the mountain village of Hima.

I realized that what took up the most of our walking time was hiking up the mountain path. It was a rarely visited town, so the path didn't have much reason to be well used. Aside from that, the mountain was infested with monsters. Noishe took off barking in the complete opposite direction as soon as we'd come within 20 feet of the place. We were forced to slay many monsters, and had to be careful not to intrude on any dragon nests.

The town itself wasn't much to look at. It consisted mostly of a few worn buildings resting along a cliff's edge that included an inn, a shop, and some houses. The path continued up past these buildings further up the mountain.

"Man, I'm exhausted!" Lloyd huffed. "That climb was brutal!"

"Where might this Pietro be?" Kratos asked Sheena, ignoring Lloyd's complaints.

"Probably at the inn," she replied. "We should head over and see if we can find him."

A woman looked up from the counter as we entered. She looked to be around Raine's age with brown hair that was pulled into a bun. Her face lit up when she saw Sheena.

"Sheena!"

"Hi Sophia," Sheena greeted pleasantly.

"What brings you to Hima?" Sophia asked curiously. "Do you all need rooms?"

"No…well, yes, but we're actually here to see Pietro. How is he?"

Sophia froze. It wasn't entirely noticeable, but I know she did. Her eyes narrowed ever-so-slightly as she trained them on the floor and said, "Oh…Pietro, he…he passed away."

"W-What?" Sheena blurted with wide eyes. "But…but he was doing alright when I saw him last!"

"The curse he acquired while escaping the ranch…it was too much for him to handle…"

"I'm so sorry…" Colette whispered.

Genis shook his head in disbelief. "Did he…um, did he say anything before he died? Something about a human ranch, perhaps?" He winced as he realized how insensitive it must have sounded, but it had to be asked.

"I…I-I don't know…" Sophia fumbled. "I-I don't even know if he really came from there. He wasn't exactly speaking coherently…"

Raine raised an eyebrow. "Well, what about his belongings?"

"He didn't have any."

"Where is his grave, then?" she persisted. "The least we can do is go and pay our respects."

"At…at the back of the adventurers' graveyard," Sophia said quietly. As we started on our way out the door, she held her hand out to stop us. "Ah, don't think about digging up his grave, please," she said quickly.

"Uh, we weren't planning on it…" Sheena said slowly. She wasn't the only one a bit puzzled by the request.

We exited the inn and Sheena led us up the path, behind the buildings to where the graveyard lay. Since the village didn't have that large of a population, the graveyard was quite small. There were maybe two dozen makeshift graves, with the one nearest to us sitting upon fresh soil. It was a new grave. Pietro's grave.

"I suppose digging up the grave is out of the question…" said Raine. I would almost think she was being sarcastic about Sophia's request, except it _was_ Raine and I wouldn't have put much past her when it came to finding out information.

"Anyway, let's pray," said Colette. She knelt down and clasped her hands together.

I knelt beside her as well, awkwardly bowing my head. It just felt weird praying for Pietro. Not because I didn't know him. I didn't know what it was exactly, but it felt…wrong.

Several minutes passed before Colette perked up. "Hmm?" She slowly turned around and let out a surprised gasp. "Oh!"

A man stood there, wearing a blank, haunting expression. His unseeing eyes were fixated on Colette.

"Pietro?" Sheena exclaimed in alarm. "W-What the hell…?"

"That's Pietro?" I gasped. I stared at him. It felt like I was looking at a ghost.

He didn't respond. Well, at least not to her. He continued to stare at Colette and uttered, "Chosen…mana…d-die…" His voice was hardly even there; merely the breath of a whisper.

"W-What's he saying…?" asked Genis. Fear was plain on his face.

"Pietro!" Sheena said again. "We were told you were dead!"

At that moment Sophia came racing up the hill, her face full of panic. She skidded to a halt beside Pietro and refused to make eye contact with any of us.

"Here you are," she said nervously. She gently grabbed his arm.

Pietro continued to mumble nonsense. "Chosen…die…angel…die…human ranch…underground…" His eyes were still glued to Colette.

"You mustn't come out here," Sophia said hastily. She tugged at his arm to guide him back down the hill. "Let's go."

"You lied to us!" Raine called after her, causing the woman to flinch and stop dead in her tracks. "He's the one that escaped from the ranch!"

"I thought he was dead?" I snipped.

"I…I…I must go!" She continued to try to coerce Pietro down the hill, but he wasn't exactly that responsive.

Lloyd rushed over to him and turned him around to look in his eye. "Please tell me, how did you escape from the ranch? We need to know!"

"Boulder…" Pietro murmured. He was now looking more pointedly at Colette's crystal. "Big…underground…jewel…boulder…move…Chosen…"

"'Boulder'?" Genis repeated, his face scrunched up in confusion.

"Is that…the escape route?" Kratos pressed.

"_Please, _let him _be!_" Sophia pleaded. "He's not well!"

"Now _listen!_" Sheena snapped. "You may be happy just protecting Pietro, but it was partially because of this guy that countless people from Luin are _dead!_ And most of the ones who aren't have been taken to the ranch. How about you help us just a little?"

Sophia stopped trying to go anywhere. She simply stared at the ground in shame. "I'm sorry for lying. I know Pietro probably has many things he wants to say as well, but because of the curse he's…been turned into this." She looked up at Sheena angrily. "He _can't _say anything so stop pushing him!"

"But he's still alive," Lloyd argued. "The dead can't even tell us that they were scared. Please, help us."

"We want to go to the ranch," Colette chimed in. "If it was possible to get people out, then it must be possible to get back in, right? Please?"

Sophia thought long and hard about it. Finally though, she sighed and said, "Alright, I'm willing to help you. But in exchange, lift his curse. The healing technique that was left behind by Boltzman is in the Tower of Mana. That may be able to cure his curse."

"Well we're on our way there anyway," Colette pointed out. "That's convenient."

"Yes," Raine agreed. "But infiltrating the ranch comes first. I won't relinquish that."

She and Sophia exchanged a long look, and through it, an understanding appeared to be formed. Sophia hung her head slightly as she said, "When he escaped from the ranch, and when he was still coherent, he said he came out through an entry in the front yard and blocked the passage with a large boulder. His things are in that grave…take them with you."

"Thank-you," Colette said graciously, while Lloyd proceeded to dig through the still soft dirt that filled the shallow "grave".

"Can you prepare us some rooms, then?" Sheena asked Sophia. "We'll be leaving for the ranch first thing tomorrow, no doubt."

Sophia nodded deeply. "Of course. Come along, Pietro." She was visibly of the immense stress she'd been put under from lying, and was now able to easily move Pietro down the hill. As she guided him along, he continued to look back at us, and although I couldn't hear him, I could read the words that continued to play on his lips.

"_Chosen…die…"_

"W-Why did he keep talking about Colette…?" Genis asked nervously. "And he kept saying 'die'…it was bizarre."

"Yeah! Sure was weird!" Colette laughed. It almost sounded nervous, which was understandable. I mean, when a walking ghost man won't stop staring at you and saying 'die' then it's bound to make you a little uncomfortable.

Meanwhile, Lloyd and Kratos were sorting through Pietro's things that they'd dug up from the grave. Aside from personal items, there wasn't much that looked of too much importance, except for a gleaming red orb.

"What's this?" Lloyd wondered, picking it out of the dirt.

"Keep it," said Kratos. He briefly observed it before gathering the rest of the things and haphazardly refilling the hole with dirt. "It may be of some importance. As for the rest of Pietro's things, we'll leave them with Sophia."

The rest of us started off to the inn, except for Colette. She stayed standing before Pietro's grave, her eyes staring downward.

"Come on, Colette!" Lloyd called. "It's your turn to cook dinner!"

She shot her head up. Whatever she'd been thinking about was gone from her mind. "Oh, right! Sorry. I'm coming!" She ran to catch up with us.

Like Lloyd had said, it was Colette's turn to make dinner. As always, it was mainly a fruit dish, so we all had a sort of silent agreement that we'd have Genis spontaneously suggest cooking us all a snack later, otherwise we'd remain hungry.

Colette and Lloyd appeared to have already put "the plan" in action. They both sat with Sheena, both chatting happily. Sheena looked rather uncomfortable about it at first, but as the night wore on she seemed to be relaxing more.

For some reason, I couldn't stop thinking about the ranch. It hadn't really crossed my mind until now, but I was surprised that Kvar hadn't blown my secret. Magnius I could understand, because he hadn't really been the smartest person, but Kvar was clever. Cunning. He should have scoped me out the minute he saw us and shouldn't have wasted any time in telling everyone who I really was. It had to have been pure luck, and I knew I wouldn't be quite so lucky next time around. The minute we crossed paths with him again, I was a goner.

All of this thinking was making me restless. I couldn't just sit there in the cozy sitting room of the inn with everyone chattering happily around me while I tried not to go insane. I announced that I was going for a walk outside and left.

The night air was a bit chilly, but I welcomed the cold. It gave me something else to think about. _Anything_ else to think about.

The sky was painted with a million stars, and they all seemed so much brighter. So much closer. A dragon soared across the sky, momentarily casting its silhouette against the moon. I was so distracted by all these sights, that I almost didn't hear the footsteps.

Almost. I whirled around, unleashing my spear in the same motion and bringing it up to clash swords with…

"You!" I exclaimed.

The blue-haired man from the Triet ranch scowled. "I almost had you, didn't I?"

I gave a great push with my spear, but he didn't budge.

"Nice try, but I think I'm stronger."

"What do you want?" I hissed. I looked over his shoulder in the direction of the inn. It was a bit far away. If I yelled, there was no guarantee that anyone in the group would hear me.

"Well, mainly we require Lloyd Irving's Exsphere," he replied. "However, it is also in our priorities to get _you."_

"Why?" I snapped. "Who _are_ you anyway? I'm beginning to highly doubt that you're really Desians."

"Very good." He made quick mockery of a smile. "All will be explained if you come with us, Aurelia."

"Like hell I will!" I tried to push him away again, but he wasn't going anywhere. I felt panic rise up inside me. This was just like in Triet when Botta captured me. I was all alone, with no one to save me, and I was going to end up locked up again.

"You just don't learn, do you?" To prove his point, he shoved me back and I fell to the ground. As I struggled to stand, he slammed his foot into my stomach. Using his other foot he kicked my spear away from me. "Now then, I promise this won't kill you. It'll just hurt you enough that you won't fight back while I take you back to headquarters."

I managed to glare at him through my terror. If he reopened that scar of mine then _he_ was going to be the one hurting.

He let out a short laugh. "You look so much like her it's ridiculous."

I fell still. "Who?"

"Again, _all_ will be-" He cut off as he sensed a presence behind him. He mimicked exactly as I had done and whirled around to block Kratos' attack.

"K-Kratos!" I managed. The man's boot was still buried in my gut, making it hard to speak and breathe.

"You…" the man said with much disgust.

"Yuan, you certainly are relentless, aren't you?" Kratos asked coldly.

"Even you must understand why we need the girl," the man, Yuan, retorted.

Kratos raised an eyebrow. "I'm afraid I don't. You're after Lloyd's Exsphere, but that girl is of no importance. Or what do you know that I don't?"

Yuan didn't respond for a long time. Finally though, he laughed and stepped away from Kratos, lowering his blade and lifting his foot from me. I instantly scrambled out of his reach and retrieved my spear in a death grip.

"Nothing," he said amusedly. "I suppose I was mistaken in thinking you'd know anything. Don't think this means it's over. You've only won this time." And then I couldn't believe it, because he was slowly fading from my sight. Soon, I was simply staring at Kratos, as Yuan had completely vanished.

"H-He's gone…" I said shakily.

Kratos approached and extended his hand to me. I accepted and allowed him to help me to my feet.

"Are you alright?" he asked shortly.

"I-I think so…" I replied. I looked around, as though there may be more of these men hiding in the darkness. "Kratos…who was he? How did you know each other?"

"You have your secrets, I have mine," he said calmly. "I'd prefer to keep it that way, lest we risk upsetting the balance."

He had pretty much just admitted he knew I was a Desian. All of my fears were confirmed. "Kratos…you can't tell anyone! _Please!"_

He raised an eyebrow. "Tell anyone what? I never said I knew your secrets. Only that you had them. And even if I did know, it is not my place to tell."

I didn't know what to say. Kratos was full of secrets and mysteries, but I knew this much–he wasn't going to tell anyone. As far as he was concerned, the secret didn't even exist.

"Kratos…thanks," I managed.

"For what?"

I smirked. "Exactly."

He let out a long breath. "The others sent me to come check on you. You got distracted and lost track of time. That's all."

So the Yuan incident was to remain secret as well. That was understandable. However Kratos knew Yuan, and probably Botta as well, it wasn't my business. I may not have completely trusted Kratos, but I realized now that we had a sort of silent agreement made. A truce. Don't get me wrong, I still didn't like him at all, but I now respected him in a way that I hadn't before.

"Okay," I said with a nod. "And I wasn't attacked by any blue-haired half-elves named Yuan. No sir, not me."

Kratos stared at me a long time before shaking his head. "Let's just get back to the inn before the others start to worry." And so the two of us headed back, and what had once been an awkward, secret-filled tension was now just a quiet, unspoken truce.

* * *

**There~! :O**

**Yep, Aurelia still hates Kratos. However, I think she'll find him a little easier to stand now that all this has happened. After all, if not for Kratos, Yuan would have taken Aurelia away to the Renegades! And THEN what? Who knows!**

**My friend Tyler has been bothering me to do this for a long time, and I didn't want to because it doesn't make sense and she's not a self-insert so it doesn't really work, but I finally gave in. Anyways. My point I'm trying to make is Aurelia has been magically given a Formspring account! :)**

**Here is the link right heeeere:**

**http:/formspring .me/ DesianPrincess**

**Without spaces of course. There's also a link in my profile. Come ask her some questions! :)**


	17. Night of the Hunter

**Holay.**

**Alright I realize it's been like three months since I've updated, and for that I'm super sorry! Usually any chance I get, I work on this, but between drama practice, my social life, and getting mono (yep I had mono. It's so much fun -.-), free time consisted of sleep. Anyways, I'll try to be more quick with updates, especially since drama is over and I have loads more free time. And hopefully this chapter was worth the wait? :)**

**With reference to the title, it's a 30 Seconds to Mars song, and a lot of the lyrics fit well with Lloyd's thrist for revenge on the Desians, especially the chorus. I dunno, I just get a very "Lloyd" vibe when I listen to it.**

**Enjoy, folks~!**

* * *

"Jeez, there you are Aurelia! We were starting to worry!"

I smiled lightly at Lloyd's cheerful rambling, not really paying much attention to what he said. My mind was still reeling when Kratos and I returned to the inn. He looked so calm about the whole thing, as though it hadn't even happened, whereas I…well, I could only imagine how wide my eyes probably still were.

"It's a nice night," I said finally. "I got distracted, that's all. Sorry to worry you."

He waved a hand. "It's cool. Hey, me and Genis were about to play cards. You in?"

I shook my head. "Thanks, but I think I'm going to turn in for the night. Have fun, though." Without much of another word, I headed upstairs. I met Sheena on my way to my room. Her regular clothes were bundled up in her hands, and she now donned a white bathrobe.

"Hey," she said. "I see you made it back okay." She ran a hand through her still-damp hair. "You're all a paranoid bunch, aren't you?"

"Wouldn't you be?" I questioned. The thought actually pulled a laugh out of me. "I mean, we are a pretty well-wanted group…"

"That's an excellent point," she sighed.

And that would be the moment that the awkward silence ensued.

"Well, good night…" I said dumbly after several seconds had passed.

She nodded and continued past me, down the hall to the room she had to herself.

Frustrated, I blew a strand of hair out of my eyes and stared after her. So much for that brilliant plan of Colette's to be friends. That certainly wasn't going to happen when she was such a difficult person to talk to.

"Good luck with this one, Colette," I muttered under my breath. I cringed when I realized that, with her angel hearing, she easily could've heard me and probably had. Oops.

I continued to my room and changed into my nightgown. The brilliant moon I previously mentioned shone brightly into my window. All I could think of as I lay there and stared at it was Yuan, and what his motives possibly were. He'd pretty much admitted he wasn't a Desian, but then why did they look so similar?

_No,_ I told myself. _Aurelia Nobelle, for once you are going to fall asleep _not_ thinking about the mess of secrets and mysteries that has become your life. It isn't allowed._

I tried my best to follow that nice voice's orders and soon drifted off to sleep.

* * *

It's funny. Whenever you're looking forward to reaching a destination, the end of your journey seems ridiculously distant. Impossibly out of reach. But on the other hand, when you're dreading reaching this destination, such as most of us were now, time seems to fly.

That's what was happing at the moment. A familiar feeling of apprehension had settled over the group at the thought of fighting Kvar. Sure, we had fought the behemoth of a man that was Magnius with little problems, but there was just something different about Kvar. He had a suspicious, creepy air about him that just put me on edge. Something told me that he'd end up having some weapon of mass destruction tucked up his sleeve that he would unleash on us in an instant. There was just more to him than met the eye.

Of course, all of this intense paranoia was probably due to the fact that he was cunning, and would reveal my origins without hesitation, should the opportunity arise.

And then there was also Devin to worry about, who would also be joining us in the ranch. I was completely against him coming with us, but I knew that when it came down to it, there would be no stopping him. He'd find a way in on his own, getting killed in the process, if we refused to let him join.

_It's decided, _I internally groaned. _I'll have gray hair and a full face of wrinkles by the time I'm thirty, if the stress doesn't kill me first, that is._

With all of this worry and dread hanging heavily over the group, we reached Luin in record timing. Time was cut in half due to the fact that we were walking _down_ the mountain path as opposed to climbing _up_ it. All together, we'd been gone from Luin for roughly a month, and the change was impressive.

The townspeople had already started to rebuild, at least those who were physically able. There weren't any overly dramatic repairs, but they _had_ fixed up a few buildings that hadn't been too badly damaged and were using them as a sort of living quarters. I could only imagine how quickly the city would revive once the rest of the population returned to help.

"It looks better already!" Colette happily observed when we arrived in town.

"Talk about City of Hope," said Lloyd. He looked impressed as he took everything in. I couldn't blame him for being impressed. These people had lost their home and families, yet they all went about their business with determination and a smile. None of them were letting this keep them down. I almost envied them.

"Hey, you guys are back!"

My heart lifted at the sound of that voice. I whirled around to see a grinning Devin walking quickly over to us. I grinned back at him and waved.

"It's about time you showed up!" he continued once he'd reached us and given me a quick, one-armed hug. "I was getting pretty impatient. So what did you learn?"

Colette stepped forward and placed a hand near her Cruxis Crystal as if to say, "Allow me".

"Well," she began. "We got there and Pietro was dead." This statement alone caused Devin's eyes to widen dramatically and his eyebrows shot up into his hairline. "So then we went to his grave and he showed up and muttered to us, so Sophia told us he was cursed and to get the book from the Tower of Mana to heal him. Then we dug up his grave and got an orb so now we need to move a boulder, fight Kvar, then go to the Tower of Mana to help Pietro!" She smiled brightly when she finished.

Devin blinked confusedly at her. "Uh…?"

Sheena sighed. "Basically what she meant was this…" She quickly summed up what we'd learned in Hima, although in a way that made much more sense than Colette's.

"Oh, I see," said Devin. He nodded thoughtfully at it all. "So basically, we need to look for a boulder that's blocking a secret entrance?"

Colette frowned slightly. "Yes, isn't that what I said?"

The group sighed collectively.

"_Anyway_," Sheena continued, "that's what we have to do. Are you still going to be joining us?"

He glanced hesitantly at me before grinning at Sheena nervously. "Yep! I sure am!"

"Of course you are," I muttered.

"The help will be appreciated," Raine assured him, shooting me a sharp look. "As I said before, it will leave more of us to fight Kvar while the others free the prisoners."

"Anything I can do to help," he replied. "I'm assuming we'll leave for the ranch tomorrow?"

"Yes," said Kratos. "We'll make our preparations tonight and then head out first thing tomorrow morning. Everybody get some rest." He headed off on his own, as he often did.

"No offense," Devin began, "but I've always found that guy highly suspicious."

Lloyd shrugged. "That's just Kratos. He's a bit of a mystery."

"He just likes to keep his business to himself," I said casually. Devin raised an eyebrow at me, and I knew why he might. Just weeks ago I'd alluded to not trusting Kratos, and now I was practically defending him. Things certainly had changed since that night in Hima.

Despite the rebuilding going on in the city, the inn still wasn't repaired. However, there was enough room for us in the makeshift living quarters so at least we didn't have to camp out on the ground. Sheena and Genis made supper for everyone, including the townspeople, and we all sat together and ate and talk. Colette was asked millions of questions (it soon got out that she was the Chosen), and she patiently answered all of them while Lloyd recounted tales of our journeys up until this point.

It was nice. For the first time in what felt like forever, I felt truly relaxed.

This feeling only grew when Devin approached and sat down beside me, a plate of steaming food in his hand.

"Hey there," he said in a goofy voice.

I cracked a smile. "Hey."

"We didn't really get much chance to talk yet." He heaped a generous amount of vegetables onto his fork and shoveled them into his mouth. When he spoke again, it was with a mouth full of food. "How did it go at Hima?"

"Hima was…" I trailed off, nervously twirling a piece of hair as I struggled for the word. "Interesting."

Devin swallowed his food in one big gulp. His face had grown quite serious. "Shit, what happened?"

"Do you remember those Desians from the desert that I told you about?" I asked him, quietly, so that no one around would overhear; Colette was busy answering questions anyway. "The ones that we keep seeing?"

He thought a moment before nodding silently.

"Right," I continued. "Well, the blue-haired one–whose name happens to be Yuan–he showed up and attacked me. He tried to take me back to the base with him, and he almost did, but then Kratos saved me. Yuan just disappeared after that. Right into thin air! He also told me that they aren't even Desians, so now I have no possible idea who they are."

His eyes widened. "Whoa! So what do these guys even want with you?"

"Life would be much simpler if I knew," I sighed. "But anyways, that's what happened with me." I took a quick look around the room, shivering slightly as the night breeze blew through the unfinished sections of the wall. "How's the rebuilding going?"

He shrugged. "Slow but steady, I suppose. It should go a lot better once we get the prisoners free." His eyes flickered to the ground momentarily. That's when I remembered.

"Oh right," I said softly. "Your family is in there…"

He nodded. "My dad and my sister. I feel so guilty, Aurelia. Here I am, having a decent meal and not having to worry about the Desians breathing down my neck, while they're both locked up in the ranch probably having who-knows-what done to them." His voice was edged with bitterness and regret. "That should be me in there. I just _left_ them."

"Don't say that!" I argued, a bit louder than I probably should have. I lowered my voice and continued. "We're going to get them out of there, Devin. Besides, there's nothing you could have done. _You_ only got out because we were there. So please don't beat yourself up about it, okay?"

He didn't respond right away. He continued to stare dejectedly at the ground before sighing and saying, "Yeah you're right, I guess. I still feel so bad though…"

I gently touched his arm. It was all I could think to do. "Um, so what is your sister like? How old is she?"

His face brightened ever-so-slightly at the mention of his sister. "Her name is Ella. She's only eight years old."

My fist involuntarily clenched. The Desians had a girl so young in the ranch? I wanted to scream with rage, but I knew it definitely wouldn't help the situation at all so I decided against it.

"Oh," I said, "and your father?"

"Dad…he's a good man," he said after a long pause. "He'd never let anything happen to either of us, so this whole ranch thing was really hard on him." His eyes clouded over as he recalled memories from the ranch. "At first, he fought with all he had against the Desians. It took three of them just to get him into the cell. When one even went _near _Ella, he tried to rip their heads off. But then they put this needle into his arm, and he lost all of his energy. He just sat there…he wouldn't talk to anybody but me or Ella, and even then, he didn't have much to say."

The story was bringing hot, unshed tears to my eyes. "That's so awful…" It was then that a thought occurred to me, something that I hadn't even thought of. In a sudden panic I grabbed Devin's hand to examine it, causing him to drop his fork and food to go flying.

"Aurelia, what the hell?" he asked in alarm.

I breathed out a sigh of relief when I saw that both his hands were perfectly normal. "I was looking for an Exsphere," I explained, letting his hand drop. "Sorry if I startled you."

"It's okay," he said with a laugh. "But really, what would be the big deal if I…" He trailed off as he realized what we'd learned in the ranch. Exspheres were made from human lives. "Oh crap. Aurelia, I'm sorry!"

I shook my head. "No, it's fine. I was just worried, that's all…" I hastily wiped at my eyes just in case any tears had happened to spill out. "We need to get the captives out of there, before their Exspheres cause any damage."

Devin clenched his fist so tightly his knuckles turned white. "I swear to Martel, if I find an Exsphere on my baby sister I'll personally tear that Kvar bastard several new holes."

Normally this would be a remark I'd laugh at, but tonight I took it completely serious. "Devin, I promise you that we'll get revenge. For everything. When we're through with that place, I guarantee that the Desians will never bother Luin again."

"Aurelia…" He stared directly into my eyes, so intensely that it was a bit unnerving. I was expecting him to maybe start off on a big rampage about revenge and how he'd never let the Desians get away with this.

What I _didn't _expect was for him to lightly press his lips to mine. A muffled sound of surprise escaped my throat and before I could even process what was going on, it was over. He pulled away from me and stood up.

"Wow, I sure am beat." He reached down and picked up his discarded plate. "I think I'm gonna hit the hay."

Meanwhile, I was sitting there dumbly, my fingertips lightly brushing against my lips. "W-What…I…?" No one else seemed to have noticed what happened, oddly enough. Even Devin was acting completely casual, as if he _hadn't_ just kissed me in front of all these people. Maybe I was delusional. Perhaps I was going crazy! I was probably just–

"Good night Aurelia," Devin was saying. "I'll see you in the morning." I could have sworn that boy winked before he sauntered off, leaving behind a very stunned and confused Desian girl.

I stared after him. _Yes…definitely real…_

* * *

I slept quite restlessly that night. My mind wouldn't stop racing long enough for me to be able think about sleeping, so needless to say that the following morning when we set out for the ranch with all of our supplies properly distributed, I was anything but well-rested.

To make matters slightly worse, Devin was acting completely normal. It was as though the night before hadn't even happened, making me question even further whether or not it actually _had_.

We'd been walking for about an hour, and I was beginning to fear I was going crazy. I just needed him to acknowledge it _somehow,_ so I knew that it wasn't my imagination. So I could let myself actually react to it with an emotion other than confusion.

"You're awfully quiet today, Aurelia," Colette noted. Despite how early it was, she was, of course, chipper as ever.

"I didn't sleep well last night," I told her, shooting a glance at Devin. Sure enough, the faintest of smirks was visible on his lips.

I waited several moments for Colette to turn and talk to Lloyd before whirling around to Devin.

"Okay," I breathed. "I need to know…did you really kiss me last night?"

He stared at me blankly for several long seconds before bursting into laughter.

"What's funny?" I asked angrily.

"The fact that you haven't stopped thinking about it, and it's driving you crazy!" He calmed down a bit and raised an amused eyebrow at me. "Am I right?"

I felt my face grow hot. "That's not true…"

Meanwhile, I hadn't realized how loud I'd asked my question, so several members of the group had turned to stare at me.

Sheena mimicked Devin's action with her own eyebrow. "Did we miss something?"

"Nah." He waved his hand dismissively. "Aurelia is just going crazy. She thinks I kissed her or something insane like that."

Colette, completely breezing past the sarcastic comment, was beaming. "Oh my goodness, really? That's so cute~!"

"Hahaha!" Genis laughed. "Look at her! She's blushing!"

I ducked my head. "N-No I'm not! Look, why are we all stopped for something like this? We need to get to the ranch!"

"Agreed," Kratos said. His face was expressionless, but I could've sworn there was a sick amusement in his eyes at my discomfort. I forced myself to think of our truce so that I didn't get too angry with him.

"Exactly," said Devin. "My display of affection for Aurelia has nothing to do with this journey, so let's continue, shall we?" He winked at me, which completely eradicated any attempt he might have made to smooth things over.

"Devin-!"

"Come along, Aurelia," Raine said rather impatiently, cutting me off in the process. "We must get to the ranch as soon as possible. This can surely wait until afterwards."

I sighed and hung my head. "Yes, Raine…"

With no further discussions on the incident, we continued walking for the rest of the day. Now that I was sure it actually _had_ happened, my mind was reeling all over again.

_Devin kissed me…he actually _kissed _me…his lips were pressed to mine…he honest to goodness KISSED ME!_

As this fact sunk in, a dumb smile stretched across my face. It grew and grew until I was flat-out grinning to myself like an absolute idiot.

And then the ranch came into view, and my smile instantly vanished.

Night had fallen several hours ago, and the entire outside vicinity was cloaked in shadows. Anything could be hiding in the darkness, definitely including patrolling Desians. Getting close enough to find this boulder would _not_ be easy.

"Well this isn't going to be easy," Sheena said with a sigh.

Lloyd turned to Colette. "Hey Colette, you can see pretty well in the dark, right? Do you think you could find the boulder?"

"I could definitely try!" she said with a broad grin. "Follow me!"

"Watch out for enemies," Kratos warned. "Keep to the trees."

We all followed Colette as she led us through the thicket, with Raine casting a dim light from her staff so that we weren't completely blind. Luckily, we didn't run into any enemies, and it wasn't long before Colette spotted something ahead.

"I think I found it!" she whispered softly. She cautioned for us to stay back and ran ahead to examine it. After several moments she motioned us forward.

"This must be the one Pietro was talking about," said Lloyd. The boulder looked very unnatural and out of place, as though someone had moved it there. There was a very high chance we'd found what we were looking for.

"So it would seem," Raine agreed. "Let's try moving it."

Lloyd immediately rose to the challenge and began throwing all of his body weight into the rock trying to move it. Unfortunately, it was quite obvious that the boulder had no intention of leaving that spot.

"It's no good," Lloyd sighed. "It won't even budge."

Raine nodded. "As I thought." She cast the light of her staff over the stone's surface to reveal a recess cut into it, perfectly fitted for a sphere. "Let's try using the orb we received from Pietro."

Kratos produced the orb from his bag and handed it to Raine. She placed it into the recess and with a great shudder, the boulder moved to the side, revealing a door.

"Whoa, it moved!" Genis exclaimed in disbelief. "All by itself!"

Lloyd gaped at it. "But…but when I tried to move it, it didn't even budge…"

Raine sighed impatiently, and I got the impression she was refraining from rolling her eyes. "Come along Lloyd, there are more important matters at hand."

He hung his head dejectedly and followed his Professor through the door.

When we arrived inside, we found ourselves in a storage room piled high with stacked boxes. Each box had a thick layer of dust coating the top, indicating that this room hadn't been used in a long time.

"Where do you think we are?" I asked nervously, eying the door at the other end of the room.

"One way to find out, right?" said Lloyd. He began to approach the door.

"_Stop!"_ I blurted, running forward to yank him back by the shirt collar.

"Ack! Aurelia what the-?"

"Are you an _idiot?"_ I fumed. I released his shirt collar so he could turn and face me. "You can't just go waltzing through doors in this place! It's an easy way to get killed!"

"She makes a very good point," Kratos agreed angrily. "We must proceed with caution."

"Okay, jeez! I got it, I got it!" he waved his hands in annoyance. "I don't need you two lecturing me all the time!"

Kratos and I exchanged a glance that said we were going to just let it go.

"I'll go first," said Kratos. He drew his sword in preparation and cautiously slipped through the door. "Wait here," he called over his shoulder before letting the door slide shut behind him.

Several minutes passed before the cries of pain sounded from the hallway. Everyone immediately tensed in alarm and reached for their weapons, only to find Kratos return through the door.

"The coast is officially clear," he said calmly. He sheathed his sword.

"Uhh…do I even wanna know?" Sheena asked him.

He didn't respond. "This storage room lies at the end of well-concealed hallway that branches off from a room containing what I would assume to be a map of the ranch. Raine could no doubt activate it. I've taken care of the patrolling Desians in that area, so we should be safe for a little while anyway. Let us make good use of the time I've bought us."

"That would be a no," Sheena muttered to herself.

We left the storage room and headed to the room that Kratos had spoken of. There was a large device in the middle that was no doubt the map.

"Let's bring up the ranch-wide map," said Raine. She fiddled around with the controls until the transparent floor-plan of the ranch flickered into existence.

"Professor, you're fantastic!" Lloyd cheered, ever-amazed at Raine's ability to work computers.

Sheena stared at the machine thoughtfully. "Hmm, so there are people on this side who can work machines too…" she murmured, clearly not realizing what this might give away for her.

Genis picked up on it. "On this side?"

She tensed ever-so-slightly, but since I'd been waiting for it, I easily noticed. "Ah, um, nothing," she stammered. "J-Just talking to myself…"

He raised an eyebrow, but didn't comment. I focused my attention back on the map.

"This is where we are now," Raine was saying. She pointed to a room that was in fact quite close to the entrance of the ranch. She pressed a couple buttons and the map switched floors. "And Kvar should be on this floor, in the control room." She checked the different floors with a thoughtful look on her face. "Alright. It appears that in order to get to the floor that Kvar is on, we'll have to deactivate the guard system."

"Guard…system?" Colette repeated, frowning.

"Here," said Raine. She pointed at a part of the map. "If we don't deactivate _this_ guard system, we can't get to Kvar."

"What are we supposed to do, then?" asked Lloyd, beginning to panic.

"Calm down," said Kratos. "There should be a switch somewhere to deactivate the system."

"That's correct," said Raine. She pointed a spot on the map. "See the two switches at the two ends of this left-right passageway? Those are the deactivation switches."

"Okay, let's go deactivate it!" Lloyd said impatiently.

"_Wait_ a minute." Raine was starting to sound impatient herself. "I'll bring up the route to Kvar's room." She changed the map and then simply stared at it, mumbling to herself about the conveyor belts.

Suddenly, a blaring alarm pierced the air for only a brief moment, and the lights all flashed red.

"Dammit," Raine cursed. "They've detected my access of the main computer."

"What do we do?" Genis exclaimed. "The Desians will be here any minute!"

"Dammit…" Lloyd hissed.

"It looks like we have no choice," Raine said hastily. "Let's split into two teams to deactivate the system and to infiltrate Kvar's room."

"What about the prisoners?" Devin spoke up.

"He's right," said Sheena. "How about the group that deactivates the security system can also start on freeing the prisoners? Devin, you can join with that group."

He nodded. "Right."

"It's going to be dangerous though!" I protested. "What if-?"

"Aurelia, calm down," said Devin. He placed a hand firmly on my shoulder. "I'll be perfectly fine. I'm tougher than I look, you know."

"Quickly, we must decide the teams," said Kratos. "I'll say now, that I would like to be in the group that goes after Kvar."

"Well I'm definitely going to Kvar!" Lloyd exclaimed. His eyes were fierce. "I'm going to avenge my mom."

"I believe I should go with the deactivation team," said Raine. "I'm probably the only one who will be able to work it. Genis, you come with me."

"Aw, but sis-!"

A fierce glare from his sister and Genis shut right up.

"I'll help with the prisoners," said Sheena. "It would probably be good for them to see a couple friendly faces." She stood closer to Devin, who nodded in agreement.

"Then I'll help with Kvar!" said Colette happily. "If anything, I can help heal you since Raine isn't going to be there."

Then that just left…me.

"Aurelia," said Kratos, his tone suddenly urgent. "You should come to fight Kvar with us."

I blinked at him in response. "Huh? I mean I will, but why?"

"Probably because you're such a great fighter!" Lloyd confirmed. Kratos said nothing to this.

I nodded. "Right, okay. I'll fight Kvar then." A shiver went down my spine as I realized what I'd just agreed to. If I'd agreed to be a part of the deactivation team, then I could have avoided a confrontation with Kvar. Avoided the very real possibility of being revealed.

I felt Devin's hand on my shoulder again. He stared down at me with concern plain on his face. "Hey, are you alright? You look petrified!"

I nodded quickly. "Y-Yeah…I'm fine…I'm going to go fight Kvar…who knows a lot…"

He finally clued in to what I was saying and his eyes bulged. "Ohhhh! Oh." He bit his lip and acted like he wanted to say something else, but with everyone there, there wasn't much he could say to comfort me. "Aurelia…good luck."

I nodded. "Thanks…you too."

He hesitated a moment once again, like he was going to say something else, but Lloyd cut him off before he could.

"Okay, let's go now then," he said. "We'll meet in Kvar's room. Everyone ready?"

I looked one last time at Devin. He nodded determinedly. "Kick some ass, guys."

Everyone agreed that they were in fact ready and with that, our teams separated. Lloyd, Colette, Kratos and I headed through the side door. The room we reached was filled with aisles containing weird chambers, into which the same containers we'd seen in the conveyor belt room were being placed by large claw-like machines.

Seeing those containers, memories of our first visit here came flooding back. I swallowed back the familiar revulsion that was creeping up my throat.

Lloyd eyed those containers with disgust before noticing a computer terminal nearby with controls to operate the machines.

"Hey look!" he said. The rest of us gathered around the control. "If we stop this thing, then we can prevent the captives from turning into monsters!"

"Are you sure you can work that?" I asked skeptically, but he, of course, ignored me and proceeded to mess around with the controls.

Before I had time to worry that he was going to blow the place up, a robotic voice sounded from the terminal.

"Shutdown in progress…shutdown complete."

"Lloyd, you did it!" Colette cheered as, one by one, the machines ceased moving.

He grinned. "Ahh, it was nothing!"

"Indeed it was," said Kratos. "If we take care of Kvar like we should, then shutting down the machines will prove unnecessary, seeing as we will have the captives evacuated. For the moment, however, it will have to do."

Lloyd's face fell. "Jeez, you really know how to burst a guy's bubble, huh?"

"Let us keep going," he responded.

As we crossed the room to head through the next door, that very same door opened and a group of four Desians came rushing in.

"Hey, what the hell happened?" one shouted. "The containers stopped-!" He cut off when he saw the four of us standing there. "Hey, what the hell are you doing here?"

"Grab a partner," Lloyd said to the rest of us before drawing his sword and lunging at the Desian who'd spoken.

Before long we'd disposed of the Desians and headed through the door. We were brought to another one of the rooms containing conveyor belts, however there were no containers being transported along them anymore.

We headed quickly through this room. There were few Desians patrolling considering that most of them had come to deal with us in the other room. We were soon into the next room, where the teleporter was located.

"That was easy enough!" said Colette.

"We haven't fought Kvar yet," I reminded her nervously. "Trust me. It's going to get a _lot_ harder."

Kratos examined the teleporter. "It doesn't appear to be operational at the moment. It will probably take a while for the others to reach the deactivation switches."

"So we'll just wait here then until they do!" said Lloyd.

I leaned against the wall and slid down to the floor. _Great, _I thought. _I just love waiting. The anticipation is simply thrilling._

Waiting was, as I'd expected, horrible. With nothing to listen to but Lloyd ranting about how he was going to destroy Kvar and avenge his mother, my thoughts were frantic and panicked. Ugh, why hadn't I just gone with the deactivation team? It would have saved me a lot of worry.

Finally, just when it seemed that I was going to go crazy, the teleporter lit up with a blue light.

"Alright, it's working!" Lloyd cheered. "Just you wait, Kvar, I'll take you down!"

_Kvar…_ I thought, gulping. _Let's see how this turns out…_

With that, I followed the others onto the teleporter.

* * *

Little did I know that I was in for a huge shock when I stepped off of the teleporter.

The control room was large and circular. Kvar stood at the other end of the room speaking with a woman displayed on a projector. She had green curly hair and a heavily made-up face, a face that possessed fine, elegant features. She wore gold armor (what little there was) and was surrounded by a ring of golden bucklers.

I froze the moment I saw her.

I barely contained the words forming behind my lips. _Lady_ _Pronyma…it's you? _I could barely process what I was feeling at the moment. After everything that had happened, after everything I'd learned about Cruxis, I shouldn't have been happy to see her. I should have been filled with a sense of loathing for her part in tricking and lying to me my whole life.

But I wasn't. My joy was fighting wildly against any self control or hatred I may have possessed, because, as much as I hated it, I was truly happy to see her, the woman who had practically raised me.

"Control yourself," I heard Kratos murmur.

I jumped in alarm and turned to look at him. His gaze was fixed straight ahead, locked onto Kvar in a death-stare. I wasn't sure if he was saying it to me or himself. In fact, it could have even been directed at Lloyd because at that moment he ran forward, throwing his fist out in a rage.

"I've found you, Kvar!"

Lady Pronyma glanced over at him with interest. "So, this is Lloyd. I see; he does bare a resemblance." Her gaze then shifted to me. Her eyes widened ever-so-slightly, but other than that she showed no reaction to my presence. She merely sent a quick pointed look to Kvar, who nodded his head slowly.

Kvar himself glanced over his shoulder at Lloyd. "So, you've come," he said with disinterest. Lloyd appeared to be instantly forgotten as he turned back to Lady Pronyma, his eyes narrowed even further than they usually were. "I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't change the subject, Pronyma! It's clear you've been stealing research data from my Angelus Project!"

Lady Pronyma sighed. "I grow tired of your accusations, Kvar. As I have told you, I know nothing of it."

"Stubborn woman," he grumbled. "I suppose I should expect no less from one who usurped the leadership of the Five Grand Cardinals." He sighed irritably. "Take heed, Pronyma. Once I retrieve the Exsphere from this inferior being, _I_ will become the leader of the Five Grand Cardinals. When that happens, you'll be begging for my forgiveness."

_He clearly doesn't know Lady Pronyma, _I thought.

"You speak nonsense, Kvar," she said dismissively. "I've also heard that Rodyle has talked you into joining him in one of his schemes."

Kvar's entire body stiffened at her words. Although his back was turned to us, I could only imagine the startled look on his face.

"Do as you wish," she said flippantly. Then her violet eyes grew cold. "But it would be best not to believe you can deceive Lord Yggdrasill for long." With one last glance at me, she cut the connection and the projector shut off. In the pit of my gut, I felt ice.

Kvar's fists slowly clenched at his sides. He seemed to shake with anger. "So the Mana Cannon is no longer a secret," he muttered. "Well, it doesn't matter." Slowly, he turned around to face us. Strangely enough, a sinister smile was painted on his face.

"_KVAR!" _Lloyd roared.

His smile widened as he lifted his finger and pointed at Lloyd. "Once I retrieve your Exsphere, Lloyd Irving, then any suspicion Lord Yggdrasill may harbor against me will be but a distant memory."

Lloyd drew his swords in a swift motion and pointed on at Kvar. "This is it, Kvar! You're going to pay for what you did to my mother!"

"Hah! Please!" With a crack of lightning, a scepter with a rounded, sharp edge appeared in his hand. "She deserved such a fate after stealing what was not rightfully hers! I will be taking that Exsphere _back!"_

I knew the fight was starting. I knew I had to focus. However, the shock of seeing Lady Pronyma kept me from thinking straight. She'd barely even acknowledged me, which I suppose was good considering it gave nothing away, but still…I couldn't help but feel almost hurt.

"_No!"_ Lloyd shouted. "You're _not _taking this from me!"

"_Get ready!"_ Kratos' shout, seemingly directed at me, was enough to break me out of my thoughts. Lady Pronyma didn't matter right now. Defeating Kvar, making him pay for everything he'd done–that's what mattered.

I broke out of my daze just as Kvar sent a wave of crackling lightning in my direction. I swiftly dodged it, drawing my spear out in the same motion and running towards him. Lloyd and Kratos were already dealing quick and heavy blows with their swords, which he was dodging skillfully. However, I figured he'd have a bit more trouble having a third blade to avoid.

He moved quickly, so even though my intended target had been his back, my spear ended up just barely scraping the surface of his arm. In fact, the power with which I'd thrust the spear caused it to go right passed his arm. He grabbed hold of the shaft and swung both me and the spear around. I collided into Lloyd and we fell to the ground.

I barely had time to hiss the word "sorry" before having to scramble out of the way of one of Kvar's lightning attacks. Unfortunately, Lloyd wasn't able to avoid it and ended up getting zapped. He cried out as his body was sent into a fit of shock-induced spasms.

I had ended up close to Colette, who, noticing Lloyd's pain, began to pray. I wondered what good Angel Feathers was going to do to heal Lloyd, until I noticed that this prayer was different than the other one.

"Thy faithful servant asketh for thy blessing. Honor us with the splendor of thy song. _Holy Song!"_

A strange melody played through the air, and as it did, a violet light washed over all of us. I felt filled with more energy than before. My weapon felt lighter, and I felt more of a spring in my step once I got to my feet.

"I take it that's a new one?" I asked her.

She nodded, swinging one of her chakrams at Kvar. "I don't know about you, but I feel kind of stronger!"

"It must be like when Raine casts Sharpen," I concluded, eying Kratos as he took a hit and barely flinched from it. "It must strengthen our defense against attacks as well."

My point was proven as a stray spark wave came flying at me. I was caught off guard so I wasn't able to dodge it; however it didn't hurt quite as badly as it should have. Still, it sent a jolt through my entire body.

_Focus, _I chastised myself. Spear in hand, I ran at Kvar, pausing midway to flip myself into the air and knock him to the ground with my Predator attack. When my feet hit the ground, I quickly grabbed my spear and started to run back to avoid any attack he'd try to quickly strike back with. However, I completely underestimated his speed and he was on his feet almost the instant my hand touched my spear. He sent a blast of electricity in every direction, sending me flying into a nearby wall with remarkable force. My lungs were promptly emptied of air. Irritating memories from the Seal of Water flashed through my mind.

Kratos, meanwhile, had barely been affected by Kvar's counterattack and continued to relentlessly slash at him. Any slash Kvar made with his scepter, Kratos parried with ease. As I struggled to my feet, I couldn't help but notice the fierceness clearly shown on Kratos' face. In all of the times I'd seen him fight, never had I seen such…determination. Such complete drive to win. He _really_ wanted Kvar dead. He fought harder than even Lloyd, who had a clear motive to win.

Finally, Kvar was able to knock Kratos back, only to be rushed at by Lloyd. His twin swords were a blur as he swung, seemingly without precision, at the Grand Cardinal. Kvar sent another shock through Lloyd's body, causing him to fall to the ground in convulsions again. He pressed the scepter into Lloyd's chest, sneering down at him.

"Despite your inevitable fate, you still choose to fight? Reminds me of a woman I once knew…"

Lloyd's face twisted into a mask of pure rage. He kicked Kvar's knees as hard as he could, causing them to buckle slightly. He pressed a sword into either of Kvar's shoulders and used this leverage to push himself up, burying his blades into Kvar's flesh in the process.

I watched the whole process until my breath finally returned to me. Now that I was actually of use, I rushed into the fray.

Up close, it was easy to see that Lloyd and Kratos were gaining more and more injuries quickly. Colette's new Holy Song spell was helpful, but didn't heal nearly as much gel might. They needed proper healing, which meant I would be left with the terrifying task of keeping Kvar at bay while they healed.

I gulped a deep breath before shouting, "You guys need to heal yourselves! Fall back and I'll keep Kvar busy!"

Both of them looked really reluctant to stop fighting, even for a moment, but eventually realized that I was right. They weren't invincible.

I reached Kvar just as they ran back to Colette. I kept an iron grip on my spear, trying my best to be brave.

Naturally, Kvar tried to breeze right past me to reach the others. He stepped to the right; I of course stepped with him. I'd expected this to be a fake-out move, so when he dashed to the left, I twirled around until I faced him, bringing up my spear to block his raised scepter. His face was uncomfortably close to mine.

"Oh no you don't," I whispered, somehow managing to sound coy through my fear.

"Aurelia Nobelle," he murmured with much amusement. "It truly touches my heart to see how you've grown."

"You have a heart?" I fired back, however my fear was at an all-time high. He knew for sure who I was. He was acknowledging it. He was going to give me away. This was it!

He laughed. "You know, if it weren't for Pronyma's orders, I'd reveal what you are in an instant. How does it feel to be betraying your so-called 'friends'?"

"Shut up! You don't know anything!" I pushed harder against his scepter, hoping to open up a window to attack. It was hard to concentrate though after what he'd just said. Lady Pronyma had given him orders? But why…?

"Especially Lloyd," he went on. The evil glint in his eye shone mercilessly. "Imagine if he learned you were one of the very same who took everything from him?"

I cast a panicked glance over my shoulder. Kratos and Lloyd were just finishing gulping down apple gels. Colette, to my immense relief, hadn't appeared to have heard anything. She simply began casting again.

That one glance cost me. Kvar took advantage of the very opportunity I'd been looking for. He pushed me back and used that moment of surprise to take a slash at my stomach. The hit landed above my now-healed scar, spilling out fresh dark blood. I choked on my pain.

Kratos and Lloyd were upon Kvar in an instant, giving me an opportunity to crawl away from him and swallow some gels of my own. It took only two apple gels before the wound was healed enough that I was satisfied it wouldn't start bleeding again.

"Are you alright?" Colette called to me. She caught a chakram that was returning to her.

I nodded and looked over at the fight. It seemed to have fallen into a pattern. Lloyd and Kratos would come at Kvar with everything they had, and Kvar would barely manage to block their attacks. This was where I would come in.

I managed to make my way around the room so that I was behind Kvar without him noticing. Seeing his back as a perfect target, I rushed in and plunged the blade of my spear between his shoulder blades. He let out a cry of mostly surprised, which was intensified by pain as I used Drill Strike and the spear burrowed further into his body. I ripped my spear out and started to run, but I wasn't nearly fast enough.

Kvar sent out another blast of lightning that sent Kratos and Lloyd flying back before lunging at me. Using the shaft of his scepter, his sent me flying and I crash-landed on top of one of the many computer terminals. I barely had time to even think about sitting up before Kvar's gloved hand was closed around my throat. He lifted me into the air, only to slam me back down onto the terminal. Sparks and pieces of jagged metal assaulted my arms. I flailed my legs in an attempt to kick him off me, but his grip stayed true.

"Hmm…" His cruel eyes bore deep into mine. "My orders say I mustn't kill you. However, anything else wouldn't be disobeying anything. And I think I have a right, don't you?"

I had absolutely no idea what he was talking about. All I knew was that I was losing air, and fast. The only response I could think to make was spitting directly into his cold, sinister, annoyingly arrogant eye.

Obviously, this didn't do much to please him, and his hold on my neck tightened. I was on the verge of losing consciousness when Kvar suddenly jerked forward, his eyes widening in alarm. He looked down, and I followed his gaze to see the end of a sword sticking through the front of him. The sword retracted and Kvar slid to the ground, his hand sliding down my body as he lost hold of my neck. The air that rushed into my lungs was like heaven.

Lloyd stood before me, his sword dripping in blood as he gazed upon Kvar's body with disgust plain on his face. Meanwhile, Kvar remained unmoving.

"T-Thanks…" I gasped, easing myself off the terminal. My body still twitched from the sparks that had run through it.

Lloyd appeared to have not heard me. "I did it Mom…" he whispered to no one in particular. "I killed Kvar. You've been avenged!"

I inched around Kvar's body until I stood next to Lloyd. Kvar certainly did look…dead. So we'd really done it.

I heard a sound behind me and turned to see Kratos had approached slightly. He stared at Kvar's body with intense hatred burning in his eyes. It was rare to see Kratos show such emotion, but he'd really hated this man. It made me wonder what Kvar could have possibly done to Kratos.

The sound of the teleporter being activated made me whirl around in alarm. To my relief, I saw Raine, Genis, Sheena and…

"No Devin," I whispered, feeling panic surge within me instantly.

"He's with the captives," Sheena said hastily, seeing my expression. "Don't worry, he's safe. He wanted to stay with his father and sister anyway."

"Thank goodness," I said in relief. A small smile formed on my face. He'd reunited with his family. He must have been happy.

"You guys took care of Kvar, then?" said Genis, noticing the body that lay on the floor.

"Yup!" Colette replied. "Raine, I tried my best, but all we had were gels. Could you heal them once we get out of here?"

The professor nodded. "Yes, of course. Lloyd?"

Lloyd finally managed to pry his eyes away from Kvar's body to look at Raine. "Yeah?"

"We found out where Chocolat was taken," she explained. "It would seem that after undergoing testing here, she was sent to the ranch at Iselia."

His face lit up. "Really? That's awesome!"

There was a sudden stirring behind Lloyd. Kvar was struggling to his feet, raising his scepter in the air as though to strike Lloyd. I should have done something, but shock froze me in place. It seemed only Colette had enough sense to react.

"Lloyd, watch out!" she cried, running forward.

Lloyd whirled around just as Kvar brought his weapon down. All he could do was raise his arms in defense as he braced himself for the strike. However, it never came due to the fact that Colette jumped in front of him just in time for the scepter to slice through her shoulder.

"_Colette!"_ Lloyd shouted. He held his arms open to catch her as she stumbled backwards.

"Lloyd…" She clutched onto his jacket in an attempt to balance herself. Surprise was the only thing causing her to stumble; she couldn't even feel anything anymore. The wound couldn't have hurt her. "Are you okay…?"

"Y-Yeah…" he replied wildly. "But you-! Kvar just-!"

"I'm fine," she assured him. She sounded in no pain whatsoever, and stood tall to prove it.

Despite the fact that she wasn't hurt, Lloyd was still _mad. _He whirled on Kvar, who looked willing to continue the fight but certainly not able. Blood was freely flowing from the giant wound in his stomach, and it was clear he was using his battered scepter as support.

"You _bastard!"_ Lloyd shouted. He drew his swords, hell-bent on killing Kvar as many times as it took. As he raised his sword for a final strike, Kratos grabbed his raised arm and yanked him out of the way, drawing his own sword with his other hand as he did so. With one swift motion, Kratos brought his blade down on Kvar's scepter hand and sliced it clean off.

I slapped a hand to my mouth, out of sheer surprise more than anything else, as Kvar let out an agonized howl. Having no support to lean against, Kvar slid to the ground, resting his back against the computer terminal behind him.

"Kratos…" he seethed through his pain. He spat each word like it was a major effort, driven by hatred. "You pathetic, inferior being!" He struggled to a standing position, wobbling as he tried to staunch the bleeding in his wrist.

That was when the emotion trapped in Kratos' crimson eyes escaped and fury was plain on his face. He drew his sword back and plunged it into Kvar's gut.

"Feel the pain-!"

He then wrenched his sword free and sliced it into his shoulder, causing Kvar to release more cries.

"-of those inferior beings-!"

Finally, he drew his sword back, stared Kvar dead in the eyes, and finished:

"-_as you burn in hell!"_

With that, he plunged the blade straight into Kvar's heart, abruptly cutting off his cries and ending his life. Kratos sheathed his sword and walked away from the body that now lay destroyed and bloody on the floor. As he passed me, I saw that his face was once more an unreadable mask, and even his eyes were void of anything at all.

* * *

**Soo I'm not going to lie, I completely forgot about Pronyma being in this part of the game. Hehe woops! Also, in reference to what I called her "bucklers"? I had no idea what that ring that surrounds her is called, and the only actual name I've ever seen used was bucklers so I went with it. Feel free to hit me if I'm wrong haha**

**Devin wants you all to review ;)**


	18. Oh Right, Angels Have Excellent Hearing

**This chapter was hard to write. I don't even know why, it just feels really forced to me.**

**Anyways, while it's a bit filler-esque, there is an important part buried in there. Other than that, it, unfortunately, does little to move the story along, although I promise the next chapter will be much more productive!**

**Expect faster updates now that school is done. Hopefully :)**

* * *

The room was eerily silent as Kratos sheathed his sword, leaving Kvar's decimated body behind him. No one dared speak, as if we were all scared that a single word out of place would earn us the same fate as the Grand Cardinal.

_Or at least, _I thought with a slight gulp, _the bloody mess that used to be him._

Kratos came to a stop in front of the rest of us, raising his eyebrow slightly. He then looked over at Colette, who, in the heat of the moment, everyone had forgotten about. The change in glance caused Lloyd to forget all about what he'd just seen.

"Colette! Your shoulder..."

She blinked in confusion before looking down and realizing that she was, in fact, heavily bleeding all over her dress. "Oh. R-Right." She clutched absently at it, as though as an afterthought.

"That wound is quite serious," Raine said urgently as she rushed over to the young Chosen.

"Colette, are you okay?" Genis exclaimed worriedly.

She smiled nervously at all this attention she was getting, most likely because she wasn't in any real pain at all.

"Thanks for worrying, everyone, but I'm fine. Really!" she added at the skeptical looks she was receiving. "I really am okay. For some weird reason, it doesn't even hurt." She let out her signature nervous giggle. "Isn't that weird?"

Sheena's eyes practically bulged out of her head. "Are you kidding me? You certainly are _not_ okay! Raine, you can use healing artes, right?"

Raine hesitated. "Well, yes, but-!"

"That's it!" Lloyd exploded.

I whirled to face him in alarm, instantly knowing where this was going and not liking it one bit. Colette sent him a terrified look.

He glanced apologetically at her. "Colette...I'm sorry, but I just can't keep it a secret anymore." He turned to the rest of us. "Everyone...listen to what I have to say."

"Can this not _wait?_" Sheena exclaimed. "I'm sure whatever it is can wait until _after_ we stop Colette from bleeding to-"

"Colette can't feel anything anymore."

She fell silent at Lloyd's interruption. In fact, all of us did. It took a moment for this statement to sink in.  
"Wait, what?" asked Genis, shaking his head in confusion. "What do you mean...?"

Lloyd glanced at Colette, who simply hung her head silently, before continuing. "It's part of becoming an angel. She's losing the things that make her human- she can't sleep, or feel hot or cold or pain or anything! She can't even _cry!"_

Although at the moment, she almost looked she wanted to.

"She's losing her humanity."

Everyone turned and looked at me in surprise. No one had expected me to finish Lloyd's rant for him.

I took a deep breath. "Becoming an angel...it means giving up her humanity."

Everyone fell into a shocked silence. Colette was the only one who spoke.

"Lloyd, Aurelia, it's okay. I'm okay, so..." She shook her head quickly. "T-This isn't important right now. Right now, we need to do something about the ranch, right?"

Lloyd breathed in deeply before turning to Raine. "Professor, can you destroy it like last time?"

"...I'll give it a try," Raine finally said, after managing to pry her eyes away from Colette. "It shouldn't be too difficult, assuming the set up is the same as that of that of the Palmacosta ranch." She headed over to the computer terminal; thankfully it wasn't the one that Kvar had destroyed...by smashing me into it.

Sheena's eyebrows lifted in surprise at Lloyd's request. "That seems kinda extreme, but I guess it _is_ the best idea, isn't it?"

I nodded. "It'll assure that the Desians won't bother Luin anymore."

While Raine worked with the computer, Lloyd insisted that Colette take gels for her wound.

"But I'm fine! Honestly!" she protested weakly.

"Just because it doesn't hurt, doesn't mean you can't bleed to death," he retorted, already applying the gel to her shoulder. He handed more gels for her to consume to quicken the healing process.

Raine rejoined the group. "Alright, since the prisoners are out and safe, I've set the timer for ten minutes just like before. We only need to worry about getting ourselves out, so let's move."

I glanced at Kvar's body one last time. It was barely recognizable from all the blood that soaked his body. Kratos had really unleashed his wrath on him. I hadn't even known that Kratos _had_ such wrath, and it made me seriously wonder what Kvar could possibly have done to him.

_Don't pry, _my inner voice warned. _He leaves your secrets perfectly alone. Have the same respect for him._

Nodding at no one in particular, I followed the others through the ranch until we reached outside. Fortunately, we were far enough away from the ranch this time around that when a deafening roar exploded in my ears and I felt heat on my back, it wasn't enough of an impact to throw me into the air like last time. It merely caused me to stumble a bit.

When I regained my footing, I looked around and found one thing was missing. Well, a lot of things actually.

"Where are the prisoners...?" I asked cautiously, scanning the horizon.

Sheena glanced around. "Oh, they must have started back to Luin already, Why don't we go meet them back there?"

I felt my blood start to boil. I was almost positive that Devin had suggested leaving himself. Why was he such an idiot? The outside of this ranch had been _crawling _with Desians when we'd first arrived. Why did he think he could just go leading a group of weak and fatigued people on a day's travel without getting attacked? If any Desians attacked them, they'd be done for! There's no way he could defend himself! Grr, he was such an idiot!

"Aurelia...?" Genis asked hesitantly.

I blinked, snapping out of my internal raging. I hadn't even noticed my jaw lock or my fists clench into iron-grip fists.

"Let's go to Luin," I said shortly. Hopefully we wouldn't come across any bodies along the way.

..._Devin, you better be okay._

* * *

A day later, I breathed easily for the first time as I heard someone call, "Oh hey, you guys are back!"

Devin strolled towards us, a relaxed grin on his face. He seemed to be unscathed for the most part.

"Yeah!" said Lloyd. "I see you all made it back too. You didn't run into any trouble, did you?"

He shrugged. "Nope, it was pretty safe. I had my knife on me anyway." He glanced up at the sky. "It's almost night. Have you guys even slept at all yet?"

At the mention of sleep, I had to suppress a loud yawn. Now that I thought about it, none of us had really slept at all since the night before last. It was starting to show on a lot of us, however sleep would have to wait for the moment, as there were important things to be discussed.

But first...

"OW!"

And that would be when I slapped Devin in the face.

"Aurelia, what the hell was that?" he exclaimed, rubbing the side of his face.

"You are such an idiot!" I fumed. "What were you thinking, just leaving on your own like that? What if you'd been attacked by Desians? Or worse? There's no way you could defend everyone from something like that with a _knife. _You could have been killed!"

He smiled. "Aww, you were worried about me?"

"That's seriously all you got out of that?"

"Pretty much," he said with a shrug. "Everything was 'blah blah raging blah blah'." He grinned broadly.

"Devin, you-!"

"Go to bed, Aurelia. You're exhausted." He gave me a pointed look that told me we'd talk later, and I knew he meant about Kvar and what had happened at the ranch.

I nodded. "Yeah. We have to talk about some things anyway. So we'll talk in the morning."

"You two get over your little spats pretty quickly," Sheena observed drily.

"She can't resist my charms," Devin said quite seriously.

I sighed. "Goodnight Devin."

We all said our goodbyes to him, promising a full recount of what had happened at the ranch in the morning, and proceeded to settle ourselves in the same makeshift living area as before. We arranged our bedrolls and blankets close together so we could talk about the subject that was hanging over everyone's heads like a dark cloud. Lloyd and I did our best to explain the situation to the others, while Colette feigned sleep in her bedroll.

"So let me get this straight," Sheena was saying. "Each time Colette releases a seal and takes a step closer to becoming an angel, she loses part of what makes her human?"

I nodded silently.

"'Losing her humanity'?" Genis repeated, his indigo eyes wide. "But that's terrible! Then...what's going to happen to her in the end?"

I froze, along with everyone else in the group. That wasn't something I'd really thought of, but it was a rather important question to be asking. Colette would become an angel, Sylvarant would be saved, but what did that mean for her? What exactly did becoming an angel mean? A stray memory danced at the edge of my mind, but it was far too nimble for me to grasp it.

Lloyd's eyes slowly grew. "What _is_ going to happen to Colette in the end...?"

Genis nodded frantically. "Not only that, but after she regenerates the world, she'll be left all alone as the only angel in the world! That's too cruel..."

Raine shifted uncomfortably. "Ah, that's-"

"Professor, it's okay," Colette spoke up from her bedroll. She sat up, her eyes wide and bright, suggesting that she'd never even closed them at all.

"But Colette-"

"I'm sorry to worry everyone..." Colette said sadly. "Right now, yes things are a little difficult, but once I become a complete angel, it may become easier. So don't worry. It's okay."

Raine shook her head and fell into silence.

"But it is too hard on you!" Sheena exclaimed angrily. "Look, if you're tired, you want to sleep, don't you? Don't you miss the taste of the foods you like? And you can't even feel the warmth of someone's hand when you hold it." She shook her head. "You should just stop this crazy world regeneration!"

At hearing this once murderous assassin actually show concern towards her, Colette smiled. "Thank-you, Sheena. But if I quit now, then all the people suffering in the world won't be saved. I...I can't just give up on them. I was born for the sake of the world regeneration, so I'm going to make sure I do my job. Okay?"

"But-!"

"So is the fate of the Chosen," Kratos said quietly.

"But it isn't fair!" I protested. "Colette is giving up so much, and she doesn't even have any choice in the matter!"

"Aurelia's right! Isn't there anything we can do?" Lloyd asked desperately. "Find some way where Colette doesn't have to become an angel...?"

"The world will be regenerated when the Chosen becomes an angel," Colette stated. "It's _always_ been like that, and probably always will be, so..."

"So you're really okay with the way things are right now?" I know he hadn't meant to snap, but his voice was harsh and challenging all the same.

She stared at the ground, avoiding eye contact with any of us. "...yes. I'm going to become an angel. That's what Father wants too."

Lloyd raised an eyebrow at this. "Which one?" he challenged.

She stiffened. "I...I'm sure...both of them do."

"...alright," said Raine, almost painfully. "It's Colette's choice, after all. But Colette...just know that this path you're taking is not going to be easy."

"Yes, Professor." They exchanged a meaningful glance, but before I could wonder what it meant, Lloyd was talking again.

"I won't accept this!" he fumed. "There _has_ to be another way!"  
I agreed with Lloyd. Everyone viewed the Chosen as an amazing person who would save them all, but no one saw the hardships she had to endure, the sacrifices she had to make in order to complete the journey. Funnily enough, I had a strange impression that not many people would have a problem with it as long as Sylvarant was saved.

It seemed like I'd only blinked and I was fast asleep, a heavy and dreamless one at that. However, it seemed I'd only been asleep for five minutes when I was being wrenched awake.

"Huh?" I sat bolt upright, looking around wildly and grabbing my knife from under my pillow.

"It's okay!" came a soft voice. "It's just me!"

I slowly lowered the knife. "Colette...? What is it?" I rubbed tiredly at my eyes before returning my dagger to its hiding spot.

"I have to talk to you. Can you come for a walk with me?"

I looked around. Everyone else was sound asleep. "Um, sure..." I retrieved the dagger as a precaution and got to my feet, quickly slipping on my boots and following her out of the unfinished building.

As it was well past midnight, the streets were eerily silent. Colette floated ahead of me, her mana wings lighting up her body like a ghost. I followed the ghost through the streets until we reached the ruined remains of the once magnificent fountain. Even now, there was still a slight trickle of water that leaked from the broken spout.

Colette stopped, looking up at the moon. I rubbed my bare arms as a cold breeze began to blow. Colette, of course, remained unaffected.

"So, um, what did you want to talk about?" I asked nervously.

She fiddled nervously with her hands before finally turning to face me.

"Aurelia, back at the ranch...what was Kvar saying to you?"

My heart stopped. I was certain the sudden rush of coldness I now felt had little to do with the wind.

"K-Kvar?" I choked.

"You two were fighting," she went on. "And he was saying all this stuff about...betrayal, and Lloyd? And Aurelia I just need to know..." She took a deep breath. "Are you a Desian?"

If I listened closely enough, I could probably hear the sound of my entire world crashing down around me.

"...yes," I whispered, my voice wobbly and tear-filled. "I am." I raised a shaking hand to push back my black hair, revealing the elven ears I'd worked so hard to keep hidden.

Her mouth fell open, as though she couldn't quite believe her eyes. Sure she'd heard what Kvar said, but she probably didn't fully believe it. She was probably looking for me to deny it and have a rational explanation for everything. I could have. I probably could have come up with some elaborate story to get out of all this.

But I was so tired of lying.

Her eyes searched my face for some kind of indication I was lying. "But...how? You can't be. You're human, Raine and Genis even-"

"I don't know how that works," I interrupted quietly. "I'm a half-elf, but...for some reason, other half-elves can't tell. They think I'm human."

"But you're not _just_ a half-elf?"

"No." My voice cracked slightly as I desperately tried not to cry. "I'm...I'm a Desian. I have been my whole life. I was practically raised by the leader of the Desians himself, Lord Yggdrasill."

After a short pause, Colette shook her head furiously. "No! There's no way you can be a Desian. It's not possible! You're way too nice, and good, a-and-"

"It's a lot more complicated than it seems," I said with a shaky sigh. I sat down on the cold, stone edge of the fountain, fearing my legs would otherwise give out at any moment. "The Desians I knew...they were different."

"What do you mean different?" she asked confusedly.

I shook my head. "No, I can't do this. Why are you even bothering?" My tears successfully escaped my eyelids. "I'm a Desian, you're the Chosen One. You're supposed to hate me. I should just leave, right?"

"Don't say that!" she said firmly. "I don't hate you at all!"

I stared up at her in shock. "What? Why? I've been lying to you all this whole time!" My gaze drifted to the cracked ground, my voice dropping to a whisper. "You should hate me."

"Why should I hate you?" she asked. I was surprised at the kindness in her voice. "You lied about who you were because you thought we wouldn't understand, right?"

"Well, yes, but-"

"You were just scared. I know the feeling, Aurelia." Before I could argue any further, she said, "Can you please explain what you mean by different?" She looked pleadingly at me. Her bright blue eyes were filled with understanding that I knew I didn't deserve. It made my stomach churn.

"They lied to me," I said finally, running a hand through my hair. My ears were fully exposed, something that hadn't happened in a long time. "Lord Yggdrasill and Lady Pronyma, the woman on the projector back at the ranch. All my life, they told me that Desians are good people who help keep order in the world and a bunch of other complete _garbage_. They brainwashed me into thinking that I was a part of something great, and then let me get thrust in this awful world filled with hate and violence and destruction." Listening to the bitter tone in my voice, I felt a rage similar to the one I'd felt in Palmacosta boiling inside of me. For the first time in a while, I felt myself hating what I'd once been involved with. Resenting the people who'd taken care of me.

Colette held a hand to her mouth. "Aurelia...that must have been awful. No wonder you didn't tell us. You must have been so scared..."

"Colette, stop it!" I exclaimed angrily. I was beginning to get annoyed at the sympathy she showed towards me. I didn't deserve it. "I lied to you all this time. In case you've forgotten, the Desians are the reason Sylvarant is in such awful condition right now. They're the reason that everything bad that's happening is happening." I felt a pang in my chest as I thought of Lloyd. "They killed Lloyd's parents. And I'm a part of all that! I could have stopped all of that if only I'd _known_ but I didn't! So please stop feeling bad for me, because I really, _really_ don't deserve it!"

"Yes you do," she said quietly, completely disregarding everything I'd said, apparently. "You had to keep this bottled up all this time. Have you told _anyone_ at all?"

"Devin," I said flatly. "I told Devin. He...understood. Much like you're doing now, to my displeasure."

She ignored my comment as realization dawned on her face. "Wait! Then all those things you used to say about not trusting you..that was because of this, wasn't it? You felt guilty for lying to us."

"Of course I felt guilty!" I snapped. "I'm a _Desian._ Why aren't you getting that? For all you know, I've been spying on you all this time!"

"Well, have you been?"

I was brought back to that frustrating moment on Max's boat when she'd questioned me quite similarly. Colette had this way of purposely missing my point to throw me off, and it, unfortunately, worked well.

"No..." I mumbled. "But that isn't the _point-!"_

"Well what is?" she challenged. The thing is, when Colette argued, she rarely sounded like she was actually arguing. Her voice was so kind, and so pure and innocent that she could never really sound angry. Not really. "Everything you've done since joining us, it's been nothing but helpful to us. You've killed countless amounts of your own people, no matter how badly it must have hurt you." She placed a hand near her Cruxis Crystal. "After all that, if I still judged you for what you were born into, something you can't control, then..." She shrugged lightly. "I wouldn't expect you to ever forgive me. I don't think I could forgive my_self__."_

"Colette..." How could one person possibly be so...so _good? _There wasn't a trace of anything bad in her. She was completely selfless. So no matter how hard I tried to convince her to hate me, there was no way she could. She just...understood, and like with Devin, I was filled with an overwhelming sense of relief that she accepted me. "Colette, you have no idea how much that means to me."

She smiled broadly and sat down on the fountain's edge beside me. "Aurelia, you were there for me with all of this angel stuff, so I'm going to be there for you too...aww, please don't cry!"

"Huh?" I blinked rapidly, and that's when I felt the tear droplets rolling down my face. I wiped absently at them, examining how they glistened on my fingertips in the bright shine of the moon. "Oh, I hadn't noticed. I'm just...happy, I suppose." I hesitated. "Colette, I know I shouldn't even have to ask you this, but-"

She held her hand up. "I promise, I _won't_ tell. Not Raine or Genis or Sheena or Kratos or-"  
"Yeah, there's another thing," I interjected, cutting off what I was sure would have been quite a list of names. "I think, somehow, Kratos may already know."

"Huh? How?"

I chewed on my lip as I considered telling her the rest of the story – about all of my suspicions about Kratos and about the silent truce we'd made. There was also the visit from Yuan, but I decided that all of this was something I could keep to myself. In light of the secret that had been revealed, enough weight had been taken off my shoulders that saying anything else would be unnecessary. I made a decision at that moment to only reveal anything else if it meant danger otherwise.

Finally, I turned to her and shrugged. "I don't really know. He just has this...knowing air about him. There's no way to be certain, but let's just say you don't have to be quite as careful around him."

She nodded. "Right, okay!" She paused for a moment before wrapping her arms around me in tight hug. "Aurelia, I want you to know that you can tell me anything, okay? No matter what, I'll be here for you!"

I squirmed uncomfortably as thoughts of Remiel and Cruxis flashed through my mind.

_Not everything, Colette. Not everything._

* * *

The sun shined in brightly through the unfinished walls the next morning, assaulting my eyelids and forcing me to squeeze them even further shut. After mine and Colette's talk, we'd headed back to the building and I'd instantly fallen back asleep, despite my racing heart.

"Goooooood morning~!" a voice annoyingly close to my ears sang out. "Wake up Aurelia~!"

I eased my eyes open to find Devin's figure silhouetted against the bright sun. He grinned down at me, holding an apple in his hand.

"No thanks," I groaned, pulling the blankets up over my face. "I pick sleep."

Devin sighed impatiently. "Aurelia, it's a beautiful day out! You shouldn't still be in bed! Do I have to sit on you? Bribe you? Wake you up with a kiss? What's it gonna take?"

I threw the blankets down and sat up, glaring at him. "Okay, okay, I'm up! Happy?" I could feel heat in my cheeks at his suggestions.

He grinned and tossed his hair out of his eyes. "I would have been much happier if I'd actually had to-"

"Devin!" Sheena barked, storming over to us. She held her fists on her hips, staring down at Devin in annoyance. "I told you to come wake Aurelia up. I didn't tell you to flirt her to death."

"Aww, Sheena! Can't I do both!"

"No," she snapped, rubbing her forehead. Corinne appeared on Sheena's shoulder and whispered something to her, at which she nodded irritably. "I know," she snipped under her breath. "The two of them must be long-lost brothers or something." She shook her head. "At least this one is actually _nice."_

Devin cleared his throat. "Hey Sheena? Yeah. Just some advice – if you're gonna talk about me, make sure I'm not _directly in front of you."_

"_Anyway,_" she said, ignoring Devin. "We're going to talk about what to do next, so hurry and get dressed, alright?" She shot Devin a sharp look. "That means you have to _leave,_ lover-boy."

"I'm going, I'm going!" he said reluctantly. "Catch ya in a few, Aurelia."

I nodded, reaching for my dress and boots. I paused mid reach when what Sheena had said registered in my brain.

"Sheena!" I called out before she got too far away.

She paused and looked over her shoulder. "Yeah?"

"Um...does this mean you're staying with us?"

Her face remained blank. "Oh, uh...I'm not really sure yet." She shrugged. "We'll talk about it I guess."

Once she'd left, I finished changing and gathered up my belongings. The others were all gathered together finishing up their breakfast. Seeing Colette, my stomach did little flips as I remembered what had happened and lost any appetite I may have had. I declined food and instead sat down and quietly listened to the conversation.

"So yes, the Tower of Mana seems like the most logical next destination," Raine was saying. "The ranches in the surrounding area have been destroyed, so there remains no further distractions. The journey of regeneration can continue."

"Ah...yes. Right," said Colette. Her eyes flickered to the ground in a movement so quick, I almost didn't see it. "In that case, we should leave as soon as we're ready, right?"

"Wait," Devin spoke up as he fished around in his jacket pocket for something. He soon produced a large, tarnished golden key with an elaborately carved handle.

"What's that?" asked Genis, peering at the key.

"The key to the Tower of Mana," he replied casually. "If that's where you're going, a key would be useful, right?"

I raised an eyebrow at him as Colette accepted the key. "You're just full of surprises aren't you?" I remarked drily.

"I haven't the slightest clue what you mean," he said seriously. However I could see the amused glint in his eyes. "Anyway, the Tower of Mana is always locked because there's so many important documents kept in there."

"If it's so important, how did you get a key?" Kratos asked rather skeptically.

"I just told the mayor it was for the Chosen," he explained. "He'd probably give the Chosen his left arm if it meant helping her on the journey." He shrugged dismissively at the statement. Sadly enough, it was probably true.

"Well in that case, thank-you very much for the help Devin," said Raine. "Both with this, and with the ranch." Before he could utter a "you're welcome", she went on speaking. "Now then, we have something else that we need to discuss."

Practically every eye in the group moved to Sheena, who'd begun to blush at the attention.

"Will you be staying?"

"Oh...um, I...I don't really..." She sighed deeply before starting again. "I'd like to prolong this truce we've made, if that's alright with all of you. I know it was under my orders to eliminate the Chosen, but after having met you all, things are complicated."

"But who's ordering you to do that?" asked Lloyd. "Who's-"

"I can't tell you that," she said apologetically. "However, if it's alright with you guys, I'd like to stay with you so I can at least keep an eye on the journey's progress. In the meantime, I'll help you in any way I can." She paused. "Is that alright?"

Everyone in the group exchanged glances. I could tell that some of us were apprehensive. Even I, knowing full well what her origins truly were, couldn't help but feel but feel a little nervous. It's true that she'd helped us destroy the ranch, and otherwise had given us no reason to distrust her, there still remained the fact that her intentions had been to kill Colette.

"I think we should let her," Raine finally said. "This way we can keep an eye on her just as she wishes to keep an eye on us." She looked at Colette. "I trust that's alright with you, Colette?"

"Of course it is!" the young Chosen responded happily. She turned to Sheena with a huge smile on her face. "Sheena, I'm so happy you're coming with us!" She started as though she was going to hug her, but pulled back at the warning look on Sheena's face.

"Now that that's settled," Raine continued, "we should make our final preparations and then start on our way. We'll meet back at the town's entrance in twenty minutes."

Everyone agreed to this and went off in their own directions. I stayed where I was, awkwardly waiting for strangers to pass so I could bring up what I'd neglected to say to Devin. Finally, the group cleared out leaving only Colette who was speaking with some young children. It didn't matter what she heard anymore.

"So, any news to share?" said Devin, absently blowing his bangs out of his eyes.

"You could say that." I squinted my eyes as I stared up into the morning sun, which was especially bright today. There wasn't even a wisp of a cloud to cover it. I just kept staring up at the sun before finally returning my gaze to Devin and saying, "Colette knows now."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Colette tense up as her angel hearing picked up the topic of our conversation.

Devin's eyebrows raised in surprise. "What? She does? How did that happen?"

"Kvar recognized me at the ranch," I explained quietly, pausing to allow my words to sink in and give Devin enough time to react – he inhaled sharply. "It was as we were fighting, and he was saying things about it so that only I would be able to hear him, and I thought Colette was too busy to notice, but she did. She confronted me about it last night..."

He discreetly looked over at Colette, who immediately returned her attention to the children around her.

"How did she react?"

I sighed. "Much in the same way you did, actually. Being all understanding, and whatnot."

A triumphant smile flashed across his face. "You see? What did I tell you? I _knew_ she'd understand!"

"Yes, you were right," I said, sticking my tongue out at him.

"Now you just have to tell the others!"

We both fell silent. His smile faded along with mine and his eyes locked onto mine apologetically.

"You know I can't tell them," I said. My voice was void of any emotion. "Especially not Lloyd."

"I'm sorry..." He laughed without much amusement and shook his head. "Wow, that's kind of pathetic. I wish I could help you more than just saying 'I'm sorry'."

I frowned. "Stop that. Why are you sorry? It's not like you put me in this situation."

"Because I can't do anything about it!" he said frustratedly.

I squeezed his hand. "Devin, it's okay. You don't have to worry about it. I-"

"Wait, why are you comforting me?" he exclaimed suddenly, throwing his hands up into the air with exasperation. "What the heck? How is this happening?"

His over-reaction caused me to giggle, which was apparently his intention as he stopped and grinned when he heard it.

"Oh, that's right!" he said suddenly, his face dawning with the realization that he'd forgotten something. "There's someone I want you to meet. Come on!"

Before I had time to react he grabbed my hand and started running. I sprinted behind him to avoid being dragged as he led me towards what I realized to be the remnants of his family's item shop. As we approached I saw a middle-aged man with greying brown hair sitting on the skeletal remains of the shop's wooden steps, his head in his hands.

"Dad!" Devin called out as we approached.

The man lifted his head. His face, which had been strained with worry, brightened considerably as he saw his energetic son running towards him.

"Hello, Devin," he greeted once we'd reached him.

"Dad, this is who I was telling you about!" He nudged me forward slightly, much to my embarrassment. "This is Aurelia."

Devin's father nodded his head. "Ahh, I see. I've heard much about you, Aurelia." He held out his hand. "My name is Rodrick."

I shook his hand, blushing. "N-Nice to meet you, sir!"

Devin looked around. Apparently he was completely oblivious to the discomfort he was causing me. "Where's Ella?"

"I think that she's-"

"_BIG BROTHERRRR!"_

I jumped at the sudden cry. A little girl ran over and promptly attached herself to Devin's legs.

"That would be Ella," Rodrick said drily.

Ella looked up at her brother, her arms still wrapped around his legs. She was the spitting image of Devin – she had the same kind green eyes and the same pale hair tied up in a blue ribbon.

"Big brother," she sniffled. "Sheena won't play hide-and-seek with me!"

"Sheena is pretty busy, Ella," Devin said hesitantly. "She's leaving with the Chosen One today, so she doesn't really have time to play with you."

Ella instantly stopped crying as her face lit up with an idea. "I know! How about _you_ play with me?"

Rodrick cleared his throat. "Ella, have you met Devin's friend?"

"Huh?" She pulled away from her brother to train her wide eyes on me.

"Hello," I said. I gave her a small wave.

She walked up to me and tilted her head to the side thoughtfully. "You're pretty," she finally said.

I blinked. "Oh, I – thank you."

She didn't respond. Another child ran by screaming joyfully and she soon was off chasing after him, laughing loudly herself.

"She seems...happy," I observed.

Both Devin and Rodrick knew that I wasn't just talking about her personality. She'd spent all that time in the ranch, and it hadn't affected her happiness one bit. It was like she hadn't even realized what was going on. Hers was one of the cases where ignorance truly was bliss.

My case, on the other hand...

"I'm really glad she wasn't affected by all of this," said Rodrick. He rubbed his forehead tiredly. "It's all too much for a little girl to have to go through." He looked up at me and I found myself staring into a pair of incredibly aged eyes on the worn face of a man who couldn't have even been forty yet. The ranch certainly had affected him greatly; despite the fact that I hadn't known him before hand, that much was clear. "Aurelia...thank you so much for what you and your friends have done...now this town can finally truly be at peace."

I tried not to sound too sad as I said, "The Desians won't ever bother this town again...I promise. Especially not after Colette regenerates the world!" I ended the statement on a happy note, forcing my brightest smile.

Rodrick smiled back, slightly. "I'll hold you to that promise. Good luck on the rest of your journey, Aurelia."

I bowed slightly. "Thank you sir!"

Devin cast a glance towards the town's entrance. "It's probably been about twenty minutes by now. You should probably head back now. I'll walk you there!"

Rodrick smiled knowingly. "Good-bye, Aurelia."

"B-Bye..." I stammered, feeling nervous suddenly at his suspiciously amused face.

As we were walking away, I realized something. "Wait, Devin, it hasn't quite been twenty minutes yet."

He grinned. "I know! I just wanted a couple minutes with you to myself. Once you leave for the Tower of Mana, you're probably not really going to be coming back this way for a while, are you?"

I bit my lip. "No, probably not, actually. We'll have to stop in Hima to heal Pietro, but other than that it'll be straight to the Tower of Salvation..." All sorts of images suddenly started flashing through my head. Fears I'd managed to push aside came rushing back as I remembered what was going on with Remiel. I had the worst feeling in my gut when I thought about the Tower of Salvation. I stared down at my boots, continuing in a whisper. "Devin...I'm scared about what's going to happen once I get there."

He tilted his head curiously, reminding me much of a cat. "What do you mean?"

I felt a tickle in my throat that I hadn't felt in a while, warning me not to continue. Letting out a slight cough I whispered, "I...I can't say. I don't even know. The whole thing about Remiel, and my coughing fits? I'm really scared about what's going to happen to Colette..."

He stopped walking to wrap an arm around my shoulders, which I realized were shaking along with the rest of my body. "Hey...it's going to be okay..." he said soothingly.

"But it isn't!" I snapped. Instantly I regretted it. What was I doing yelling at Devin? He was only trying to help. I think it might have been the fact that I was only realizing now just how close this journey was to being complete. One more seal and then it was off to the Tower of Salvation. To Colette becoming an angel, no doubt by the hand of Remiel. Or maybe even Lord Yggdrasill. And all that really scared me.

"Sorry," I murmured. "I'm just worried."

"Hey..."

I craned my neck to look up at him and was met by a pair of lips lightly brushing mine for the briefest of moments. Like the first time, I wasn't even certain it had actually happened.

"Don't worry so much," he said quietly. "What's the point? You don't even know for sure that something bad's going to happen. Just try to enjoy the time you have left to spend with these people, alright? And in the meantime, I'll wait here for you. Missing you terribly, of course."

His last words had a teasing note to them, but the words he'd spoken before struck something within me. _Try to enjoy the time you have left to spend with these people, alright?_

The dreamy state the kiss had left me in went away immediately. His words were probably meant to sound comforting. To my ears though, they were just ominous. He may as well have just given me a full-out warning about the end of this journey, for how nervous his words made me.

"Aurelia?" he said with a frown. "Are you alright?"

I stared straight ahead of me, to where I could see Colette talking animatedly to Sheena. She looked happy. She always looked happy. Except for her eyes. No matter what, her eyes always seemed to contain some trace of sadness. Could it be that she worried about the near future as well?

As if she had read my thoughts, she turned to lock eyes with me at that moment. Her expression turned sad for a brief moment.

"Devin," I said, my voice barely even a whisper. "I'm not the one you should be worrying about."

* * *

**I apologize if this chapter was a bit all over the place. Hopefully you still enjoyed it though! :)**

**Slenderman wants his twenty dollars. And maybe some reviews too.**


	19. Entwined

**Uploading this at 5 am where I am because hey. Who needs sleep? Not me**

**All I'm gonna do is apologize for being a lazyass and for uploading late. No excuses. Now I'll get outta your way. Enjoy~!**

* * *

Devin didn't quite know what to make of my words. "Aurelia? What do you mean?"

I tore my eyes away from Colette. A heavy, solemn feeling had settled over me that I couldn't shake. "N-Nothing," I murmured. "Let's go join the others."

He looked confused, but he didn't push me any further and followed after me to where the rest of the group was waiting at the entrance.

"Is everyone ready to go, then?" Lloyd asked as we approached. I could tell he was just itching to get on with the journey, no doubt finding this sleepy town rather boring. He looked pointedly at me, as if to say, "_Yeah Aurelia. We were waiting for _you."

"Yes, I'm ready," I told him as I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. "How long is this walk, anyway? Two weeks?"

"Closer to a week and a half, I assume," said Kratos.

I cut him off as he was about to continue speaking. "And _no,_ I'm not complaining about walking. Or making an observation. I was just curious."

He closed his mouth, the smallest trace of amusement in his eyes.

Raine turned to Devin. "Well, Devin, thank you for all of the help you've given us."

He nodded. "It's not a problem! Good luck on your journey. Be sure to come back to Luin someday! I'd love to be able to brag to all my friends that I'm friends with an angel." He laughed.

For some odd reason, none of us laughed. No one even cracked a smile. In fact, Colette almost looked on the verge of tears.

Devin's laughter slowly turned awkward before he stopped altogether. He didn't know exactly why, but he could no doubt tell that his comment had struck a nerve. He loudly cleared his throat. "Um, so yeah! Good luck with the next seal..." He scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

Colette forced a smile. "Thank you, Devin...it...it was really nice meeting you."

He blinked. "Hey, why so sad? I'm sure we'll meet again!"

"Yeah...I'd like that."

Seeing that he still looked confused, I hugged him and said, "Good-bye Devin. I'll...try to be back to see you as soon as I can."

I could feel him nod against my shoulder. "Bye. Stay safe."

There were so many other things I wanted to say to him. After all, we probably wouldn't be returning to Luin again before reaching the Tower of Salvation, and I had absolutely no idea what was going to happen after that. What was going to happen to me. This could be the last time I ever saw him.

I knew that he realized this too, and yet neither one of us seemed to be able to manage a single meaningful word. All that we had to say was summed up in a single hug, left unspoken.

When we separated, the others said goodbye to him as well, and that was it. We were soon on our way.

* * *

The following week and a half passed by rather uneventfully, and before we knew it, we'd reached it. The Tower of Mana was an incredibly tall structure with a rectangular shape. It stretched so tall into the sky that I had to crane my neck to see the top, which was barely even visible. The tower was circled by mountains.

"Wow..." I breathed. "This is-"

"_Marvellous!"_

I turned my head to see Raine run ahead of the group, marvelling over the tower's stairs and its large elaborate doors.

"So _this_ is the Tower of Mana...built to gaze upon the Tower of Salvation!"

"Yes, I think it is!" Colette...sort of, confirmed.

"You 'think'?" Genis mumbled.

"What is it, anyway?" Lloyd asked dumbly.

Genis shifted his scowl from Colette to Lloyd. "Honestly, Lloyd! We studied it in class before!"

His blank look remained unchanged.

"It's a tower that was used as a temple by the Church of Martel to offer prayers to the Tower of Salvation," Colette explained. She was gazing upon the tower in awe. "Although, it was closed a long time ago since monsters started appearing inside."

At the mention of monsters, Noishe, who'd soon joined us after leaving Luin, lifted his head sharply and abruptly took off in the opposite direction of the tower.

"Coward," Lloyd muttered.

"I simply _must_ go inside," Raine was meanwhile gushing. "Just think of all the knowledge and artifacts contained within this building!"

"According to the Book of Regeneration, it's very likely that this is a seal," said Colette.

Genis frowned as his eyes searched around the doorway. "But there's no oracle stone..."

"But we have the key for the doors, right?" I reasoned. "It might be inside. Besides, even if it doesn't turn out to be a seal, we still need to healing technique for Pietro."

"In any case, let's proceed," Kratos summarized.

Raine didn't waste any time in fishing the elaborate key out of her pocket and hurrying to the door. She inserted the key in to the lock before returning it to her pocket and pushing the large door open. The rusted hinges creaked loudly from not being used in so long.

The rest of us filed after in after Raine. Light poured in through the open doors, revealing a room whose walls were lined with books shelves filled to the brim with various leather-bound tomes. I'd never seen so many books in one place in my life.

Genis blinked his eyes in amazement as they scanned the room. "Wow...that's a _lot_ of books!"

His older sister shared his amazement, if only a bit more enthusiastic. "Ohh! Just think of all the knowledge those books could contain! I simply must get my hands on one!"

While Raine fawned over the books, I continued to look around the room. There were two doors aside from the one we entered through, but they appeared to be sealed – one off to the side of the room, and one straight ahead of us. There was also some kind of device on the floor consisting of three circles surrounding another circle in the center. The one in the center almost looked to be a projector like the ones we'd seen in the ranches.

Probably the most noticeable thing in the room, however, was the pedestal standing directly in front of us. The oracle stone.

"Hey, there _is_ an oracle stone!" Lloyd commented as he approached it.

Raine managed to tear her eyes away from the books to look at the oracle stone. Her Ruin Mode deactivated as she got back to business. "Yes, it's just as it is written in the Book of Regeneration. This really is the seal." She turned to Colette. "Colette, if you would, please?"

"Yes, Professor."

As Colette approached the oracle stone, I felt a familiar feeling stirring inside me. It was the same that I felt in my dream at Thoda Geyser, a strange pull drawing me to the oracle stone. I wanted to place my hand on it, but there's no way I could. Not with everyone here watching. Still, the urge was hard to ignore.

Colette placed her hand on the stone. Everyone waited for one of the nearby doors to open, but it never happened. However, the circles nearby all lit up brightly for a moment before dimming to a slight glow.

Lloyd looked at the doors in disappointment, clearly oblivious to the change that had occurred with the circles. "What? They didn't open..."

Kratos patiently pointed out the change to him. "No, look at that magic circle."

His blank look remained the same. Clearly he didn't see what was so important about it. Not that I really did either.

"Marvellous!" Raine exclaimed. "This apparatus has awoken due to the oracle stone!"

"So we just need to do something with that apparatus?" Genis questioned.

"So it would seem," Kratos replied.

Sheena scratched the back of her head. "Yeah, but what the heck are we supposed to do with it?"

Raine crouched down beside it, examining it thoughtfully. "This looks interesting...Lloyd, stand on that blue circle."

"What?" He raised an eyebrow skeptically. "Uh, okay..."

"Genis, you go to that one."

"Okay."

Once the two boys were standing on their circles, Raine stood and stepped onto the remaining one. The circles lit up slightly before the door off to the side of the room opened up. The other door remained closed.

"Whoa, it opened!" Lloyd exclaimed excitedly. He began to ran towards the open door, but the moment he stepped off of his circle the door closed once more. "Hey, what gives? It closed!"

Raine stepped off her own circle. "It appears that the door won't open without three people on these circles."

"Which means three of us must remain here," said Kratos. "It's dangerous, but we have little choice."

"Yes," Raine agreed. "That seems like the only way. Colette, why don't you choose who you wish to accompany you?"

"Okay! Umm..." She looked around the group. As she contemplated her decision, Sheena inched closer to Genis and said,

"...does Raine have a split personality disorder we should know about?"

Genis laughed nervously, knowing full-well that Sheena was talking about Raine's ruin mode, and her quick transition back to normal. "I'm sorry. I know she's a little strange, but she's a good person at heart."

"I'm not doubting that," she said, amused. "Just...wow."

In the end, Colette ended up choosing Raine, Kratos and Lloyd, leaving Sheena, Genis and I to stand on the circles and keep the doors open. The three of us took our places, causing the door to slide open.

"Alright you guys, wait here," said Colette. "We're going to go release the seal!"

Sheena nodded. "Right. Be careful, you guys." With that, the other group headed through the doorway, leaving the three of us alone.

There was a long pause before Genis commented, "Soo, uh, how long do you think we're going to have to stand here?"

I sighed and stared up at the ceiling. "Well, I'm guessing that the seal is probably located at the top of the tower. It only makes sense. And since this is a pretty tall tower..."

Sheena hung her head dejectedly. "We're gonna be standing here for a while."

_On the plus side,_ I thought, _we don't have to fight the seal guardian. That also means that I don't have to face Remiel. Although that might not necessarily be a good thing, seeing as Colette won't have anyone to give her a second opinion on how he acts. He's been acting weirder and weirder with each seal we visit, so who knows what he'd do this time around, at the final seal?_

I sighed silently. At least I wasn't going have to suffer one of my awful coughing fits. Those were never enjoyable.

Luckily, we didn't have to wait for _too _long before something happened. It had been maybe half an hour when the second door suddenly slid open. At the same time, the fourth circle in the middle of us proved to be exactly what I thought it was- a projector. It flickered to life and produced a faded image of Raine.

"Whoa!" Genis exclaimed, jumping slightly at the sudden image of his sister. "What the heck is this?"

"Ah, so you can see me as well," Raine observed calmly. "Am I right to assume you can hear me too?"

"Yeah, we can hear you fine," Sheena replied.

"Wow, that's so cool!" I heard Lloyd exclaim from out of view. "I can see Genis!"

"Anyway," I said to drown out Lloyd. "The other door down here opened. What should we do? Should we go in?"

"It opened?" Raine repeated. She placed a hand on her chin in thought. "Hmm, well if the other door opened, then it must have to do with the puzzle for this seal. I think you should move on and we'll meet up before releasing the seal."

"Alright, we'll see you soon then!" Genis said. With that, the projector shut off, leaving us alone once more.

All of my previous thoughts left my head in an instant. So much for not having to face Remiel, huh?

As Genis, Sheena and I stepped off of our circles, I noticed that the first door that Colette and the others had entered through remained open, which was convenient enough. Without further ado we entered the other doorway, which was actually the start of a staircase.

We climbed the stairs and entered into a room with a single mirror in the center. It looked to be adjustable. On the left wall there was a red velvet curtain. Straight ahead was a door with some sort of glyph or gem on it. I couldn't really tell what it was from where we stood. Also, in each corner of the room there was a statue of an angel, staring down at us solemnly. Their gazes weren't comforting however as I assumed they were meant to be. They gave me shivers. I quickly averted my gaze and focused on the matter at hand.

Sheena eyed the room thoughtfully. "Alright, so why would there be a mirror in here?"

I smiled widely. "Hey Sheena, I just realized that this is the first seal you've been to with us where you _aren't_ trying to kill us!"

She sensed the sarcasm in my voice and glared at me. "Yes Aurelia, I'm aware of that fact."

Meanwhile, Genis had approached the red curtain and was now proceeding to push it aside. When he did, a brilliant white beam of light shot forth and caused an even brighter light as it collided with the mirror and bounced onto the ceiling. He let out a cry as the potentially blinding light assaulted his eyes. He stumbled backwards, letting the curtain drop and smother the light into darkness.

"Well at least we know what the curtain is for," I examined as Genis rubbed his eyes. "Are you okay, Genis?"

He blinked rapidly as he adjusted to the sudden lack of light. "Er, yeah I think so. It just seriously caught me off guard, that's all."

"So maybe we need to reflect the light off of that mirror onto something?" Sheena suggested.

"That seems likely, yeah," I agreed. I pointed at the door. "Maybe that spot on the door?"

She shrugged. "It's worth a shot."

Once Genis finally regained some of his sight, he returned to the curtain, this time standing to the side rather than in front of it so as to not be blinded by the light. He lifted it aside and held it there. The light once more bounced off of the mirror onto the ceiling.

Since Genis was holding the curtain in place, Sheena approached the mirror and, careful to keep the light out of her eyes, began trying to angle the mirror in the right way. She eventually succeeded and the beam of light connected with the spot on the door and it rose, opening the way.

"Alright, that wasn't so hard!" said Genis, letting the curtain drop once more, seeing that we no longer needed the light.

"Genis, you and I both know that when you say that, it'll get harder," I told him.

He sighed. "Yeah, I know..."

We continued up the stairs; these stairs were quite longer than the last set. When we finally reached the top, we emerged into a room that, like the last, had several mirrors in it, however there also seemed to be several higher levels and balconies to the room. The path between the levels was broken, however, as there was a gap that only Colette would be able to cross between two of them. Between another two was a gap that held a shimmering bridge made of yellow mana that the others must have somehow conjured by solving part of the puzzle. At the end of the long room was another one of those spots on the wall like the one that had been on the door.

Sheena noticed that off to the side there was another red curtain. "Hey, it's another curtain! The puzzle in here must be the same."  
Genis walked over and pushed the curtain aside like before. The light bounced off the mirror and hit the ceiling.

I looked ahead. The remaining mirrors were spaced out and turned in odd directions. I realized that it was going to take a lot of trial and error to be able to bounce the light off each mirror successfully in order for it to reach the spot it needed to.

Sheena seemed to notice this too. "Aw great, this is gonna take a while."

"But hey, at least we're halfway done!" I pointed out cheerfully, guiding her attention to the already present bridge.

"Oh yeah. The others must be responsible for that one."

As if on cue, we heard Lloyd's voice crying out from one of the upper balconies.

"Hey guys!" he called, hanging over the side of the quite high balcony. I cringed looking up at him. He was hanging so haphazardly that I was certain he'd fall any moment.

Luckily, Kratos approached from behind him and, grabbing onto one of his suspenders, dragged him roughly back. Raine's face replaced his, peering down at us.

"Hey sis!" Genis called up to her.

"How is it going for you guys?" I asked her.

"We've made no progress since we last spoke," she replied frustratedly. "There is a gap up here that only Colette could cross, although we managed to bridge the other gap higher up."

"Yeah, we saw that," said Sheena. "So I guess it's up to us to bridge that one, huh?"

Colette's appeared next to Raine, her mana wings out and shimmering. "If you don't mind, please!"

I sighed as Genis returned to the curtain and pulled it aside. Sheena and I went to separate mirrors and began working on angling them correctly. All the while Colette hovered high above us, trying to see if she could be of any help, while Raine shouted suggestions on which ways to angle the mirrors.

"How are the monsters?" I asked Colette as I waited for Sheena to adjust her mirror.

"They're...weird," she decided.

I raised an eyebrow. "Weird as in...?"

"Well there's just a lot of ghosts and stuff," she explained. "You know, regular ghosts, possessed teddy bears, possessed swords-" She cut off at the no doubt disturbed look on my face. "What, you guys haven't come across any yet?"

I shook my head, both as a response and to rid my mind of the disturbing thought that was a possessed teddy bear attacking people. Still, all I could think of was a ripped open bear, its stuffing spilling as it moved with razor sharp claws, blood-red eyes and a set of ferocious fangs that-

"Aurelia?" she repeated, tilting her head to the side curiously.

"No, we haven't," I said meekly. "They must all be targeting the Chosen or something." _Was I seriously more worried about the _teddy bears_ than ghosts or floating swords? What is _wrong_ with me? _I internally groaned

"That's certainly what it seems like," she said calmly. She then moved out of the way so that I could concentrate on angling my mirror, as Sheena had succeeded in shining the light onto it.

Moving the mirrors was harder work than it looked. The ease with which they moved varied extremely. So they were either stuck completely on one angle one moment, or swivelling uncontrollably the next. I didn't hold back in yelling this information at Lloyd when he complained about us taking too long.

Finally, we managed to get every mirror pointing in the right direction. The light was faded considerably by the time it reached the spot on the wall, but it still did the trick. A section of the wall lifted, revealing another staircase. At the same time, the gap where the others stood was bridged with a shining bridge of mana.

Genis joined us at our end of the room. I looked up at the others. "We're going to keep going!"

Raine nodded. "We'll meet you at the teleporter." With this, the three of us continued up the stairs.

* * *

It didn't take long to reach the teleporter. We only had to solve two more mirror puzzles to reach the second mana bridge, which weren't that tough of puzzles anyway. We also didn't have any monsters to deal with, so altogether with the stair-climbing and puzzle-solving, it only took roughly twenty minutes before we rejoined the others.

"Is everyone ready?" Kratos asked the group.

"Just think, Colette, this is your last seal!" Lloyd said with a grin. "Aren't you excited?"

She smiled, but I could see that it was a smile laced with that signature anxiety of hers. "Um, yeah! Soon the world will be saved!"

I frowned. No one else seemed to notice how nervous she was, or otherwise shrugged it off, but I was growing more and more used to it by the day. I knew how badly this was eating at her, how much she feared facing Remiel again. I knew because in a way, I felt the same.

It was then that I noticed Raine looking at me. Her expression was stoic, except for her eyes. They held a slight sadness in them, as well as a sort of questioning. Her scrutiny made me uncomfortable, and I was soon forced to look away.

Without further delay, the seven of us stepped onto the teleporter. When the usual blinding light and dizzying feeling cleared, we were outside, standing on a platform that seemed to be floating in the air. A set of stairs nearby led up to the very top of the tower. We followed up the stairs until we reached the top, where the seal itself lay.

"Phew, man I'm tired," Lloyd panted once we'd cleared the stairs.

"That's because you're always overexcited in the beginning," Kratos said bluntly.

Lloyd was in the middle of a witty retort before the seal suddenly reacted like it usually did. Raine, Genis and I all tensed instantly at the vast change in mana.

"It's mana..." said Genis. "Powerful mana is coming out!"

The sky grew dark for a moment as yellow-coloured mana began gathering above the seal, and the tower felt like it was going to collapse. When the light cleared and the sky returned to normal, a creature burst forth as the mana exploded. The creature was a sort of winged unicorn, with a spiked mace at the end of its tail. It ground its hoof into the stone, no doubt preparing to charge at us.

"Ready yourselves!" Kratos shouted, drawing his sword and charging at the creature before it could charge at him. He unleashed a Demon Fang attack, at which the creature reared back on its hind legs and brought its front hooves down to attack Kratos. He brought his shield up to block the attack, but was knocked back in the process. The creature, angered that its attack did little damage, swung its tail at the whole of the group, knocking us all off our feet.

The mace-like tail both cut my stomach _and _knocked the wind out of me. I glared up at it, gritting my teeth as I tried to breathe again. Why was it that at _every_ major battle I got the wind knocked out of me? It wasn't something I enjoyed. Luckily enough I had a perfect target for my frustrations.

The instant I was able to breathe again I leaped to my feet and joined Lloyd, Kratos and Sheena in bombarding it with up close physical attacks while the others stayed back and cast, as usual.

As Sheena sent a trail of cards slicing at the creature, I realized that this was her first time fighting a major battle with us, let alone a seal guardian. She was good at fighting, a fact I was able to appreciate more when the attacks weren't aimed at us. The way she controlled the cards was smooth, graceful – hardly comparable to the clumsiness we'd seen at Ossa Trail. She certainly did have two sides to her. She also often called upon Corrine often to claw at the unicorn's face. On such a beast it probably did little damage, but it came as a welcome distraction that allowed us to get more attacks in. Needless to say, having a skilled assassin as an ally made this fight a lot easier than it would have been without her.

Not to say it wasn't annoyingly challenging. I mean, it was the final seal, so of course it was going to be a difficult fight.

_At least this one isn't trying to drown me, _I thought bitterly as I took a stab at one of its legs. It responded by charging at me horn-first. It would have skewered me if Colette hadn't flown by and lifted me partially out of the way. I escaped with a puncture in my leg, but nothing compared to what it would have done to my heart. She flew over it as it reared back to attack Lloyd and dropped me. I fell with my spear pointing downwards and stabbed it in the back. I quickly moved out of the way to avoid being attacked.

However, instead of going for me, it went for a bit of a surprise attack. It lifted its tail and dropped it down. Unfortunately, it landed on Sheena, pinning her to the ground momentarily and no doubt causing her an immense amount of pain.

With one swift slash from Kratos the tail was off of Sheena...in fact, in was completely detached from the unicorn itself. Enraged, the beast began casting a spell, which quickly developed to be a powerful Photon attack aimed at Kratos. He took the hit in stride and continued to slash away at the creature.

The fight wasn't a long one, thankfully, and soon the guardian was slain and Remiel's voice – that..._dreaded_ voice echoed in through the air around us.

"Chosen of Regeneration. You have done well in reaching this far. Now, offer your prayers at the altar."

"Y-Yes," Colette replied, and went through the now familiar process of kneeling at the altar, clasping her hands together and reciting the prayer. "Oh Goddess Martel, great protector and nurturer of the earth, grant me thy strength!"

She unfolded her wings and floated up, awaiting Remiel's arrival. However, it was slightly delayed. The yellow ball of mana that had appeared when the seal released returned, only this time it morphed and took shape. Slowly the image of a beautiful woman came into view. She had long, flocking locks of jade and gold, and she sat upon a crescent moon, a glowing halo floating above her head and a magic staff lain across her lap. She gazed at us all, her perfect face crumpled slightly in confusion.

"Where is Aska?" she asked in a melodious voice.

"Whoa!" Lloyd exclaimed. "What is this? Who is that girl?"

She continued to look at us expectantly, as though Lloyd hadn't spoken. Her gaze hovered on Sheena for a moment before she sadly said, "Without Aska, I cannot do anything – cannot form a pact or a vow." She began to fade from sight. "Please...find Aska...in order to restore my power..." With that, she faded away completely.

"What the..." Lloyd began. He didn't have time to finish the statement, and none of us even had time to ponder what that might have meant, Remiel was soon descending upon us.

As always, Remiel was putting up that awful front of his where he "deceived" us all into thinking he was some benevolent being. However, even if I wasn't completely suspicious of him already, seeing him now would no doubt spark it. He looked positively...smug. That _had_ to be the word to describe how he looked. It was as if he had long waited for this day, and something very good was just beyond his reach, close enough for him to touch. It made me sick.

He smiled down upon Colette. "Your journey has been long. You have done well to reach this far, Colette, the Chosen one!" His tone was triumphant, and he quickly stifled it. I wondered if anyone else noticed.

"Thank you...L-Lord Remiel," Colette replied quietly.

"Let us grant you our blessing." Remiel lifted his hand and sent mana streaming towards Colette. I fought the urge to run forward and stop it, to push Colette out of the way and prevent whatever dehumanizing change that was going to occur. Instead, I settled on sending scathing glares toward Remiel, who simply ignored them.

"Thank you..." said Colette once the mana had been transferred.

Remiel gazed at her almost thoughtfully. "You have taken another step closer to becoming an angel, yet you seem anxious."

Colette caught herself and forced a polite smile. "Ah, no. I'm very happy."

If Remiel was skeptical, he didn't show it. He continued, "Now, Chosen One. Your journey is finally drawing to a close. It is time for you to rejoice. The path to the Tower of Salvation is open!" For the briefest of moments, victory is visible in his face. It's quickly gone however as he continues to speak once more. "Head to the Tower of Salvation and offer your prayers of regeneration! Then, you will be able to climb the stairway of heaven."

"The Tower of Salvation?" Lloyd exclaimed in awe.

"The world regeneration is finally going to take place!" said Genis. To them, and the rest of us too, I suppose, reaching the Tower of Salvation seemed so far away. It was hard to believe that that was our next destination.

Sheena, meanwhile, was not rejoicing like the boys were. She stared at the ground, looking conflicted and almost scared. "Is regeneration...really going to happen...?"

At the thought of the world being saved, Colette perked up. "I shall do as you instruct, Lord Remiel!"

Remiel smiled, as though he knew she would. He returned to the sky, his body fading from sight as he did. Like always, he had one final message for Colette.

"I shall await you at the final seal. Colette...my daughter. There, you will become an angel, like me."

As the last echoes of his voice faded away, Colette descended the ground, looking distant and pensive even as she turned to face the rest of us. A sort of foreboding had settled over the group at Remiel's words, though I'd imagine that few really knew why.

Kratos was the only one who seemed unfazed, as usual. "The end is finally in sight. Let's start our way to the Tower of Salvation."

Raine approached Colette, gently touching her arm and saying, "Colette...are you sure about this?" Although I wouldn't say she was at Kratos' standards, it was still rare to see such emotion from Raine.

"...Yes," Colette responded. She slowly shifted out of her daze. "I'm fine."

"Do...do you feel alright?" I asked her hesitantly.

She nodded. "Nothing has changed yet, but it never happens this fast."

In all the excitement over the world being regenerated soon, Lloyd seemed to have forgotten about what this journey was doing to Colette. When he remembered, he clenched his fists. "Dammit! Something else is going to change now, isn't it?"

"Yes, Lloyd, but it'll all be worth it in the end! You'll see."

I frowned at her. To me, it seemed more like she was trying to convince herself than Lloyd.

* * *

We made the long trek down through the tower, having to face a minimal amount of monsters. Thankfully, I was not forced to face the nightmarish possessed teddy bears, although the image I had conjured myself was probably going to haunt my dreams forever.

I couldn't help but notice Colette was unusually quiet on the way down. Not that I could blame her. With everything that was going on, and all of her doubts about Remiel, she probably had a lot weighing heavily on her mind. Still, even when she did talk, I could barely hear her. Raine said she was going to check her throat once we got into the sunlight, fearing she might be developing a sore throat.

When we reached the entrance room, Sheena remembered something.

"Oh that's right, we need to find that book so we can heal Pietro!" she announced.

Raine nodded. "We'll set up camp outside first of all, and then I shall search the shelves for the book."

We all agreed with this and proceeded to leave the tower. I should have expected it, but it still came as a bit of surprise when Colette collapsed once we got outside, as usual.

Lloyd immediately crouched down beside her. "Professor Sage! It's Colette's Angel Toxicosis..."

Raine nodded. "I see...well we were planning on setting up camp anyway, so Lloyd why don't you help Colette get settled?"

_And cue Colette's obligatory, "I'm fine! Sorry for worrying you..."_

However, it never came, much to my confusion. I turned to Colette to see what was keeping her.

Her lips moved as though she were speaking, however no sound was coming out. She frowned, puzzled that she couldn't speak. She kept trying, but as hard as she tried, she couldn't seem to form any words.

"What's wrong, Colette?" Lloyd asked her.

"I would assume she's lost her voice," Kratos observed.

"What?" Genis exclaimed.

Colette glanced at Kratos, her face panic-stricken. She desperately tried to speak, but to no avail.

"This is going too far!" Lloyd shouted angrily. "They've taken so many things from her, and now she can't even _speak?_ This is...this is-!"

"Lloyd, calm down," Kratos told him. "Yelling about it isn't going to make it any better, or stop it from happening. For now, just help set up the camp."

Lloyd fell silent and did as he was told, quite unhappily.

* * *

Later that night, the group of us sat around the fire. Sheena had cooked dinner, and we ate in silence. No one seemed to want to address Colette's lack of a voice, because there really wasn't much left to say. We'd already had the conversation about how unfair it was that this was happening to her, and it wasn't going to change anything.

Still, I couldn't help but notice that I stabbed at my food rather aggressively.

Anyway, we'd just recently finished. Raine was reading over Boltzmann's Book, deeply absorbed into it's dusty, fragile pages. Genis and Lloyd were washing dishes. Everything was silent.

"Sheena, are you sure?"

I glanced over to see Corrine sitting upon Sheena's shoulder, a worried look on his face.

She nodded. "Yes. I think it's time."

I raised an eyebrow in curiosity. She cleared her throat and said, "Everyone, I have something to say."

Lloyd glanced up from his work. "Huh?"

Corrine pestered her some more, but she ignored him and took a deep breath. "I...I want to explain to everyone why I was trying to assassinate the Chosen."

My breath caught in my throat. She couldn't actually be telling us about Tethe'alla, could she? I didn't think she'd _ever_ tell us. Apparently everyone else was sharing the same kind of thoughts, because everyone froze, hanging off her every word.

Only Raine seemed unfazed. "Alright. We're listening. Tell us about your homeland. A land that doesn't exist in this world."

Everyone seemed confused at this. I was shocked. _Raine knew?_

Sheena shared my sentiments. She gaped at Raine, her brown eyes widened to an alarming size as she tried to form her words properly. "You...y-you _knew?"_

"Knew what?" said Lloyd. "Professor, what's going on?"

Raine ignored Lloyd's question and addressed Sheena. "No. But you didn't make it horribly difficult to guess. You said yourself that Sylvarant would be saved. That means you can't be from Sylvarant."

Sheena stared at her in amazement for a few minutes before sighing and shaking her head. "I can't believe it. You know, it really is a shame your intellect is being wasted over here. Anyway, yeah. You're right. My homeland is not here, not in Sylvarant."

Genis' eyes were wide as he tried to absorb all this. "What does that mean?"

"My world is called Tethe'alla," she replied.

There was a pause as everyone let this name hang in the air. Of course, for people who'd lived in Sylvarant their whole lives and had no knowledge of another world, this name presented some confusion.

"'Tethe'alla'?" Genis repeated, now looking even more confused than before. "You mean the moon...?

Sheena let out a shaky laugh at this. "Of course not. My world isn't on the moon." Seeing that her explanation was explaining little, she sighed again. "Even I don't understand the specifics," she said apologetically, "but there is another world that lies entwined with Sylvarant, as shadow is to light. That's Tethe'alla...my world."

"'Two entwined worlds'?" Raine repeated curiously.

"The world's lie directly adjacent to each other. They just can't see one another." She was beginning to get into the flow of explaining things, and knowledge I already knew was becoming more clear to everyone else. "Our scholars say they exist on shifted dimensions. Anyway, the worlds can't see or touch each other, but they do in fact exist next to and affect each other."

"What do you mean, 'affect each other'?" asked Lloyd.

"They vie for the supply of mana," she replied. Now she was getting into the true nature of the regeneration journey, something that I was only now realizing that the others may find disturbing, the fact that their survival depended on another's suffering.

"When one world weakens, the mana from _that_ world flows to the other. As a result, one world is always flourishing, and the other waning. Sort of like an hourglass."

Genis rose to his feet as he slowly began to catch on. "Wait, so right now, Sylvarant is..."

"Yeah," she said grimly. "Sylvarant's mana is flowing to Tethe'alla. Therefore, Sylvarant is in decline. Without mana, crops won't grow and magic becomes unusable. If there is no mana, the Summon Spirits that protect the world alongside the Goddess Martel can't survive in Sylvarant either. As a result, the world slips even further down the path of destruction."

Raine's face dawned with realization. "Then the Chosen's world regeneration is actually the process of reversing the mana flow?"

Sheena nodded. "Yes, exactly! When the Chosen breaks the seal, the mana flow reverses, and the Summon Spirit that governs the seal awakens."

"So that lady we saw today..." Lloyd said questioningly.

"That would be Luna, the Summon Spirit of Light," said Raine.

Sheena nodded again. "Right. So anyway, in light of all that, I was sent to prevent the world regeneration from happening." She took another deep breath and continued, not necessarily making eye contact with anyone. "I broke through the supposedly impassable dimensional fissure, and did everything I did for the sake of protecting Tethe'alla."

"In other words, to ensure the decline and destruction of Sylvarant?" Lloyd questioned challengingly.

Guilt flashed across her face briefly. "You can say that, but don't forget that your journey of regeneration is also an attempt to destroy Tethe'alla. We're both doing the same thing."

Despite having suspecting Tethe'alla's existence all this time, Raine was still looking skeptical. "It's hard for me to believe all this..."

"I'm the proof," said Sheena. "I possess summoning arts that have been lost from this world. You've seen Corrine. He's a type of Summon Spirit..." She trailed off from trying to reason with Raine when she saw Colette, looking extremely guilty. "Colette," she said pleadingly. "Please don't look at me like that. I know Tethe'alla's destruction wasn't your intention. You didn't even know. But I don't know what I should do either. I came here to protect Tethe'alla, but this world is impoverished and everyone is suffering. But if I allow the world regeneration to occur, then Tethe'alla will become just like this."

I frowned, sensing how horribly conflicted she must have felt, not that it was news to me. It was just nice to have her confirm what I'd suspected all along. "But Sheena, now you're helping us, right? I mean, if you wanted to stop the regeneration, you could have easily done something to prevent it at this seal."

"I know, but there's no way I could kill Colette now! Now that I've seen this world, and met you all, I couldn't possibly go through with my mission." She punched the ground in frustration. "But that doesn't mean I can just abandon Tethe'alla either! I...I don't know what to do. Isn't there another way? A way for Sylvarant, Tethe'alla and Colette to all be happy?"

"I want to know too!" Lloyd exclaimed fiercely.

Raine looked at her sadly. "Have you considered that perhaps nothing that convenient exists in the real world?"

"But there has to be," Genis said desperately.

Kratos, who had remained silent throughout the whole explanation, finally spoke up. "The best thing we can do right now is to save Sylvarant from its current crisis."

"What if we don't regenerate the world and just defeat the Desians?" Lloyd suggested naively.

"Although we succeeded in destroying a couple ranches, we cannot possibly eliminate all of the Desians," Kratos told him. "Besides, the mana would eventually be exhausted, which is the major problem."

He frowned. "Is mana really that important?"

"I suppose only magic-users and scholars worry about it," Genis said with a slight shrug. "But mana is even more important to life than water. Without it, the land will die. Mana is the source material which composes everything. At least that's what I've been taught."

His teacher herself nodded in confirmation. "Unfortunately, the Giant Tree of ever-flowing mana in fairy tales doesn't exist in the real world. We live by chipping away at the limited amount of available mana. Why do you think the ancient magitechnology was lost?"

"Because mana disappeared from the world," Sheena replied.

I thought back to my first day on Sylvarant. Simple spells I'd used everyday to change my clothing or teleport were completely unusable here. The mana was seriously depleted, although those already living here would have no reason to notice.

"Correct," said Raine, replying to Sheena. "Magitechnology consumes large amounts of mana. If things continue the way they are now, Sylvarant will eventually lose its mana completely just as it lost its magitechnology, and be destroyed."

"But there has to be _something," _Lloyd began, but cut off as Colette had grabbed his hand and, flipping it over, begun tracing something in his palm with her finger. "Colette, what are you..._R...E...M...I..._" His face lit up as he realized something. "Oh, I get it! You're trying to spell something in my hand!"

She nodded quickly and continued writing.

"Okay, let's see," he said as he tried to decipher what she was writing. "_I'll...try...asking...Remiel...if...there's...a...way...to...save...both...worlds."_

Somehow, I highly doubted Remiel would be that willing to help.

"If it doesn't work out, I may have to kill you after all," Sheena said gravely.

"Sheena!" Genis exclaimed, shocked.

Colette looked sad for a moment before continuing to write in Lloyd's hand. This time, he waited until she was finished before reading it out.

"'_When that time comes, I may fight back because I love Sylvarant too'," _he read.

Sheena looked from Lloyd to Colette, who was smiling, surprisingly. "I understand. You intend to become an angel no matter what, don't you?

Colette nodded, but didn't write anything in Lloyd's hand.

"Well then, now that _that's _settled," I said lightly, "Raine, how did looking at that book work out?"

"You're not shocked at all...?" Lloyd muttered.

"Oh, yes. About that."

"What's wrong, sis?" Genis asked. "We _can_ use that to save Pietro, right?"

"Theoretically, yes," she replied. "However, I'm afraid to say that it will be difficult to use this book with the healing arts I have now. What we need is a tool to amplify the body's life force."

"Like what?"

She thought for a moment before coming to a conclusion. "Perhaps if we had a Unicorn Horn..."

"What about the unicorn at Lake Umacy?" I suggested before remembering that it was trapped in the lake. "The only only thing is, we have no way of reaching it. It's trapped under the water, so unless one of us has the ability to turn into a mermaid or breathe under water..."

Sheena cleared her throat. "Um, you say that it's trapped under the water? Because I might have a solution..."

Raine looked at her. "I'm listening."

"We could summon Undine, who exists somewhere in this world, luckily, instead of Tethe'alla, to control the water's mana so you could reach this 'unicorn', which I must say, I'm amazed you managed to even find one!"

"Undine is the Summon Spirit of water," I told Lloyd before he could ask.

He glared. "I _knew_ that..."

"Anyway," Sheena continued, "I...I haven't formed a pact with this Summon Spirit yet, but if I can form the pact, well then I can summon."

"Well where can we find Undine?" Lloyd wondered.

"The Summon Spirits are usually found at the seal matching their element, so Undine should be at the Seal of Water."

"So Thoda Geyser," said Kratos. "That means a long trip back the way we came."

"I'm sure Remiel wouldn't be too happy at such a long detour," I commented bitterly.

"'_But we promised Sophia we'd save Pietro'," _Lloyd spoke for Colette. "She's right, we did promise her. Besides, there's no major rush, right?"

"I suppose," Kratos said shortly.

"Then it's settled," I said. "We'll start on our way back to Thoda Geyser in the morning." I couldn't help it, I shuddered. "That's a _lot_ of walking..."

"But least we have Luin and Asgard to stop and rest," Genis reasoned. "It won't be so bad."

So with that, it was settled. Kratos didn't seem happy about it, and neither did Raine. Hell, I wasn't too thrilled about all that extra walking either. But when I put things into perspective, this also meant more time before we had to go to the Tower of Salvation. More time before Colette _truly_ became an angel, which, to be honest, was beginning to sound more and more ominous each time I heard it.

* * *

**Yes I know I majorly cheaped out on the Iubaris fight. Lazy me is lazy. Sorry**

Hopefully I'll have things moving a bit faster from now on. Please review! :)


	20. Poisoned

**So, much like with Chapter Two, I accidentally erased my author's notes on this while going back to edit it, as I usually just write them after I upload the chapter. I should probably stop that.**_  
_

**I also fixed the last paragraph. I was going for emotionless and detached, but looking back - it just looks like really bad description, so I changed it.**

**Anyway, I love this chapter. But at the same time I hate it and I'm sorry :(**

**Introduction to an important character here! **

* * *

_I stood on a beach. It was night, and the only sound I could hear was that of the waves crashing against the shore. It was cold. I shivered as the icy water soaked my feet, and the cool air nipped at my skin as though my nightgown wasn't even there. I knew that I should get away from the shore and get dry, but it seemed like my feet were stuck to the sand beneath me. So, I was instead stuck standing there, freezing to the bone and staring at a black, shapeless horizon._

_I stood there for a while before I heard a strange sound. I call it strange because it wasn't even really a sound at all. It was a sort of heavy silence that hadn't been there before. Puzzled, I turned around to see Colette behind me, floating slightly with her pink mana wings lighting up the darkness._

"_Colette!" I exclaimed. "You startled me!"_

_She didn't respond. I was confused that she was just staring blankly at me before I remembered that she couldn't speak. Remiel had stolen her voice._

_She tilted her head to the side, her eyes questioning._

_I realized what she meant and looked down at my feet. "Oh, I'd like to move, but I don't think I can. I'm stuck!"_

_She turned sad all of a sudden, staring forlornly down at the ground. If she was able to cry, I imagine she would have._

"_Colette? What is it? What's wrong?"_

_She shook her head, refusing to even look at me now._

_I opened my mouth to speak again when Kratos appeared beside her. He looked down at Colette._

"_Kratos!" I said. "Thank goodness. What's wrong with Colette? Why is she so upset, do you know?"_

_He continued to look at Colette before looking up at me. His face was expressionless, as usual, but there was something different about it right now. It made me uneasy.  
"K-Kratos...?" I repeated hesitantly._

_His gaze shifted from me to something behind me. Before I could even turn around to see what he was looking at, I felt something latch onto my leg and pull me to the ground. Much to my panic, my scream died in my throat and all I could make was a wheezing sound._

_Colette's head shot up. Her eyes were wide and she started forward to run to my rescue, however Kratos clamped a hand down on her shoulder and kept her in place._

"_Kratos?!" I said in alarm. I fought against the force that was slowly trying to drag me into the water; I now realized that the thing latched onto my leg was a hand. "Kratos, help me!"_

_Colette continued to fight, desperation growing more and more on her face by the minute. She looked up at Kratos pleadingly, yet he simply shook his head._

_Another hand closed on my leg, and another, and another, until there were hands grabbing onto every available space on both legs. I was fighting my hardest but they were quickly succeeding in dragging me into the ocean. I glanced back to try and catch a glimpse of my captors. The water was dark, but I could make out the shape of faces. Faces with soulless red eyes that gazed unseeingly up at me. Countless feathers floated in the water._

"_Are these...angels?" I said between gritted teeth._

No,_ I realized. _These aren't just angels. These are...

_I looked up at Colette. Her almost guilty expression somehow confirmed things for me. These angels...they were Chosens. Chosens who had completed the journey and become angels._

"_But that doesn't make sense!" I exclaimed, struggling even harder._

_Kratos almost seemed to glare at me. "You should know what they want, Aurelia. It should be obvious."_

_I shook my head. At this point, My body was half-submerged in water. The waves were strong, crashing over my head and forcing water down my throat and into my lungs. "I don't know!" I choked. Water was quickly filling my lungs; my vision was starting to blur._

_I desperately flung my hands out in one last cry for help. My heart jumped hopefully when I saw Kratos suddenly standing before me, and he grabbed my outstretched hand. Colette was nowhere to be seen._

"_Kratos!" I tried to scream, but all that came out was a series of coughs that did little to clear my lungs of water._

_He peered down at me. "What are his plans...?" he wondered aloud._

_My face crinkled in confusion. "H-Huh?" I spluttered._

_He shook his head and let go of my hand, causing me to scream in protest and take in more water. I clawed at the wet sand, but it was to no avail. The Chosens succeeded in pulling me under. Once I was completely submerged in water, they continued to shake me, their fingers digging into my arms. Kratos stayed standing above the surface, staring down at me with an emotionless face._

_I could slowly begin to hear my name being said over and over.  
"Aurelia...Aurelia..._AURELIA!"

I sat up abruptly, letting out a cry of alarm. I glanced around in panic, expecting to see a vast expanse of water around me and to feel the hands of the Chosens gripping my limbs, however that wasn't the case. I was in a field, and the only thing gripping my arm was...

"Are you alright?" Kratos asked me. He was crouched beside me, a mildly concerned look on his face.

Remembering the dream I'd just awoken from, I let out a whimper and jerked my arm away from him, scrambling backwards.

He raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Aurelia?"

"W-Where am I?" I asked shakily.

"You were sleepwalking," he explained calmly. "Colette seemed worried you'd be hurt so I followed you some distance from the Tower of Mana. It seemed you were having a nightmare. I woke you once you started to scream."

"O-Oh...right." Looking around, I could indeed see the Tower of Mana in the distance, as well as the faint flicker of the campfire. I was extremely on edge. I couldn't focus on one spot for more than a couple seconds. I couldn't even _look_ at Kratos.

"Are you alright?" he asked again.

"I...I...yes," I stammered. "I-I'm fine. Just a dream..."

A trace of a frown crossed his face. "You're shaking. This nightmare must have truly gotten to you."

"It was just a nightmare," I said quietly. "I hardly even remember it now."

I could tell by his expression that he recognized the tone of my voice. It was the tone that our silent understanding was built on. This was something I planned on keeping to myself, and he didn't plan on doing anything to stop me, despite the fact it had everything to do with him.

"Colette will be worried," he said after a long pause. "Let us head back."

I nodded. "Y-Yeah."

He gave me one last look that could almost be classified as curious, but started to lead the way back to the campfire all the same. I was hesitant to follow him, but I did anyway, trying my best to push all thoughts of that dream out of my head.

Colette gave me a concerned look when we reached the campfire, and I smiled to reassure her.

"I'm fine," I told her. "It was just a nightmare. Don't even really remember it." I looked between her and Kratos. Both looked doubtful. "Anyway, I'm going back to sleep. Wake me up if it happens again, okay?"

They both agreed to it, and I lay back down. I was asleep again as soon as my head hit my pillow, and this time I didn't dream.

* * *

We planned out the following journey before we left the next morning. We would stop in Luin for the night, as well as Asgard when we reached it, and the two Houses of Salvation along the way until we reached Thoda. It was a long journey, and Kratos wasn't happy about such a deviation from the Chosen's mission, but we all agreed that we couldn't just break our promise to Sophia. By the time everything was through with the Tower of Salvation, it could easily be too late to save Pietro, so it had to come before.

Besides, none of us were exactly thrilled at the thought of what Colette was going to have to give up in order for the world to be saved. There wasn't much else she had to sacrifice at this point.

Once everyone was settled and the trip was planned out, we set out for Luin. Now that Sheena had revealed the secret of another world, the entire group was enthusiastically pelting her with questions about Tethe'alla, especially Raine. Even Colette asked questions through writing in Lloyd's hand with her finger. Kratos and I were the only ones who remained quiet. I pretended to be interested for the sake of keeping up appearances (after all, I wasn't supposed to know about Tethe'alla), however most of the things Sheena was telling the group were things I already knew.

"Tethe'alla is filled with huge cities," said Sheena. "None of the cities in Sylvarant could even begin to compare. They also have a lot of advanced technology, similar to what you might find in a Desian ranch, but maybe not quite as advanced. Oh, also..."

It continued like that for most of the first day of walking, and spread out over the rest of them as well as the others thought of new questions to ask. I asked a couple of random ones that I really didn't care about the answer for, just to keep Sheena from getting suspicious at all.

With all of the questioning going on, it kept everyone's minds busy, and the time went by quickly enough and we'd reached Luin again.

"Back again!" Genis said happily.

I looked around the town. Little progress had been made in the month or so that we'd been gone, but the town was noticeably happier. I could feel stress melting away already.

We continued through town to where the makeshift inn was located. By this point, the inn was pretty close to being finished, as the first floor was completely fixed.

"Well if it isn't the Chosen's group, back again!"

Rodrick set down a large plank of wood and wiped the sweat off of his forehead with the back of his hand. "Shouldn't you all be headed towards the Tower of Salvation?"

I nodded. "Yes, but there's something we need to take care of first. We're headed towards Thoda Geyser."

He smiled. "Ahh, I see. Well, feel free to stay in Luin as long as you'd like! I'm sure that Devin will be happy you're here." He lifted the plank of wood he'd just dropped and went back to his work.

Lloyd hung an arm across my shoulders. "Aww, I'm sure he will be!" he teased.

I sighed and shrugged away from Lloyd, acting annoyed. However, I was secretly excited that I'd get to see Devin again, especially since I'd had no idea if I'd ever see _anyone_ in Sylvarant again after the Tower of Salvation. That's not to say I still didn't know what-

A joyous cry interrupted my, I'll admit, repetitive, pessimistic thoughts. "Hey! You guys are back!"

As I turned to see the source of the voice, I was nearly tackled to the ground with a rush hug. I stumbled back, planting my feet firmly on the ground to avoid falling.

"See?" Lloyd snickered under his breath.

Devin pulled away from me to look at the rest of the group. "What's up? What are you all doing back in Luin?"

"Errands," Kratos replied shortly.

"Having to do with healing Pietro," Raine explained further. "There are other things we'll be needing first."

"Ah, cool! In that case it's good to see all of you again!" He grinned at Colette. "How did the latest seal go, O Great Chosen One?"

She smiled sadly at him. "_Fine,"_ she mouthed.

He lifted an eyebrow in confusion. "Why isn't she talking?" he murmured to me.

I shook my head. "That's a touchy subject."

He nodded in understanding.

There was an awkward silence over the group that I was beginning to get used to. Lloyd was the one who attempted to lighten the mood.

"Well, uh, the town is looking good so far!" he commented brightly. "You guys are really coming along with the building!"

"Thanks!" Devin replied. "It's been hard, but the people of this town are pretty optimistic. They bounce back fast, you know?"

I nodded. _The City of Hope..._

"Well, why don't you guys get settled, and I'll catch ya later? I have to go get Ella for supper, otherwise she'd stay out playing all night." He gave us a quick wave and headed away.

We spoke with a woman who seemed to be taking care of the inn, and she gave us one of the smaller rooms of the inn that wasn't being used. There were no beds, as they had all burnt in the fire, but they had managed to salvage many usable, if not singed, blankets and pillows. They gave us some to use, and while we were going to have to sleep on the floor, it was much better than having to sleep on the cold, hard ground.

We set all of our things in the room and headed outside. We all decided we'd help as much as we could with the building before supper. With Colette's angel strength, she was able to do a lot of lifting and even with just us helping, we actually made a good amount of progress. We took a break for supper, which we also happily contributed to, then continued to help build after supper.

I looked up from the plank of wood I was sawing to examine the sky. The sun was beginning to set, and Devin still hadn't returned with Ella. I hadn't thought anything of it earlier, but now that it was going to be dark soon, I was beginning to get worried.

"Rodrick, have you seen Devin?" I asked as he passed by me.

He paused. "No, I haven't seen him since before supper, why?"

"N-No reason..." I frowned as he turned away and kept walking. Something was up. What if Ella had gone missing? He was probably scouring the ruins of this city looking for her all by himself.

I felt a tap on my shoulder. Turning around, I saw Colette standing there with a troubled expression on her face.

"What is it Colette?" I asked nervously.

She took my hand and began to spell out words in its palm. It took me a while to decipher it, but I got the gist of it- "_Heard something."_

I instantly stood up. "Should we go check it out?"

She nodded quickly. Her eyes held an urgency that scared me. This wasn't just some random noise. With Colette's super sensitive angel hearing, if she was nervous about a noise, it had to be something bad.

I glanced around. No one else was around. I decided that whatever it was, Colette and I could probably deal with it ourselves. And even if we couldn't, that meant it was something bad enough that we didn't have time to go find anyone else.

"Lead the way," I told her. I set down my saw and, keeping my hand close to my belt, followed her through town.

The further away we got from the inn, the more destruction I saw. The buildings had not yet been worked on, the wreckage had not yet been cleared, and it looked like the fire could have just happened yesterday, in some places. I felt a deep, burning hatred in my gut directed at Kvar before remembering that he was dead, and this town had been avenged.

_Doesn't change anything. Killing Kvar didn't bring back anyone who had died._

I tried to keep my anger under control and continued to follow Colette through the town. The sun was closer to setting now, washing the town in a golden orange glow. My nerves were building by the second. The fact that we were heading towards some potentially dangerous sound at the same time Devin and Ella were missing wasn't promising.

We had only walked about five minutes from the building site before we heard a voice.

"I'll ask you one last time, you inferior being! _Where_ is the Chosen's group?" the voice was strong and authoritative, belonging to a woman. It was unfamiliar.

I exchanged a nervous glance with Colette. We proceeded with precaution, crouching amidst the wreckage of a building and peering around the corner. I clapped a hand over my mouth to keep from crying out at the scene I witnessed.

A group of Desians stood there, fronted by a woman whose back was to me, so I couldn't really see her appearance. She held a long, thin sword in her hand pointed towards Devin, who was backed up against a free-standing wooden post. Ella was being held against her will by one of the lesser Desians.

Devin stared back defiantly at the woman. "I already told you, I don't know. Have you maybe checked, oh, I don't know, the Tower of Salvation where they're goddam supposed to be?!"

She adjusted the sword in her hand. "Don't play wise with me, brat. After releasing the seal at the Tower of Mana, they should have headed straight to the Tower of Salvation. But obviously they _didn't-" _the sword jerked in her hand, "-because here we are. If I have to search this whole city only to find that they aren't in it, I won't be pleased, by any means. Now talk, before you lose the ability to."

"Go ahead, kill me. Even if I did know, I'd never tell you!" His glance flickered briefly towards Ella, who squirmed and whimpered in the Desian's grasp.

Apparently, this brief glance was long enough for the woman to notice. She whirled around and I got a good look at her.

She had long, black hair clipped to the side with a sapphire hummingbird. It flowed down over her shoulder. She wore a silver and deep blue gown with a slit up the front that ended above her knees. It was adorned with brilliant, intricate silver armor that spread from her chest down her arms. She had piercing green eyes which were now locked onto Ella, filled with a sick amusement. The woman was stunning. Beautiful. Frightening. She was also very clearly a half-elf. She flaunted her pointed ears with confidence and almost radiated mana.

Still keeping the sword pointed at Devin, she motioned towards the Desian holding Ella. "If you would."

He nodded and drew a knife from his belt, pressing it against the young girl's throat. She let out a frightened cry.

Devin's face turned red with fury. "_Don't you _dare _touch her you bitch!" _he roared.

She smirked. "Why are you yelling at me? He's the one with the knife. If any farm befalls your precious little sister, then it'll be on his hands. And anyway, you don't have to worry about _anything_ happening to her, as long as you give me the information I need." She held the sword even closer to his neck. "Where. Are. They?"

His eyes darted between the woman an Ella. Despite the lack of expression on his face, I could tell how torn he was. He would never dream of doing anything to hurt Colette, yet this was his little sister at stake.

I couldn't just sit by and watch this. I looked at Colette and she gazed back with a determined look on her face and nodded.

"Are you sure?" I whispered.

She nodded again.

Taking a deep breath, I stood and came out of hiding. The sound of my feet crunching on the dirt caused the three Desians to turn and look at me in alarm.

"My lady!" one of them said.

The woman turned around. "What is it?" she asked in annoyance. Her voice faded into silence when she caught sight of me. Her smile slowly grew, her eyes looking absolutely victorious. "Oh...it's you."

"You're looking for the Chosen? Well she's right here." I gestured towards Colette, who now stood beside me. "You know where she is, now let them go."

The woman let out a haughty laugh. "Foolish girl, do you not see the sword clearly pointed towards this boy's neck? I hardly think you're in any position to be ordering around."

"But you don't need them anymore!" I protested. "The Chosen is right here!"

"You really are dense, aren't you?" she asked with a sigh.

I gritted my teeth, annoyed that this woman was insulting my intelligence. "What are you talking about?"

"You make the mistake of thinking that just because I'm looking for the Chosen's group, then that automatically means I am looking for the Chosen."

"What the hell are you even talking about?" I snapped. "If you're a Desian, then you're obviously looking to stop the Chosen!"

"You think so?" she said with an amused smile. "I don't see _you_ trying to stop the Chosen, and you're just as much of a Desian as I."

My breath caught in my throat. My first instinct was to panic before realizing that the others weren't here, so there was no one to reveal this secret to.

"Then what are you trying to do?" I demanded. "You have to be looking for the Chosen! Unless..." I trailed off. _No...there's no way that she could be – is she actually-_

"You know, he has such a hard time admitting he's made a mistake," she said casually. "I tried to reason with him, as did Pronyma, however he seems to have some sort of crazy plan in mind. Either way, what he fails to realize is that allowing you to go on this journey was a mistake."

Colette tilted her head to the side, clearly confused at this woman's words. However, I knew all too well who she was talking about.

"Lord Yggdrasill," I whispered.

"Aww, you _do_ have a functioning brain in that cute little head of yours after all!" she sarcastically. "That's correct. I'm talking about your precious Lord Yggdrasill."

"So what, that means you've come to take me back?" I glared at her, keeping my hand hovering near my spear.

She raised an eyebrow at me. "You seem to think that's a bad thing. Don't you _want _to see him? Don't you miss him dearly?" There was a hard, biting edge to her voice; her eyes were narrowed bitterly. She was no longer talking lightly, cockily. For some reason I couldn't tell, she was starting to get mad.

"Not anymore," I told her evenly. As even as I could manage as I lied to her anyway. "I plan on stopping the Desians with Colette. I'm not going to sit by while all this killing happens. Not anymore." I looked at Colette, who smiled at me.

"Relax," she scoffed. "I'm not taking you anywhere. Lord Yggdrasill would have my head if I did. No, I came to warn you, being the kind person that I am."

"'Warn me'?"

"Yes. I'm sure by know you've encountered Yuan, and his group."

"Yuan..." I recalled the night in Hima, the blue-haired half-elf we'd met once before in Triet. "I have."

"Do _not_ allow yourself to be captured by them."

"That was kind of my plan all along." I eyed her suspiciously. "Why, what do you know about them? Why are they after me?"

"That's not important," she replied evasively. "Just know that they definitely mean you harm. No matter what they try to tell you."

"That's all you needed to tell me?" I asked between gritted teeth. "I didn't need someone like _you_ to tell me to be careful around people who are trying to kidnap me!"

"Lady Olivia," one of the Desians spoke up. "I thought you said we needed to-"

She raised a hand to shut him up. "I'm getting to that."

I froze and looked at Colette. My own shocked expression was mirrored on her face.

"_Olivia..."_ she mouthed, realization dawning across her face.

Olivia...that was the name of the woman who'd sent those Desians looking for us back in Asgard. The mysterious Desian woman none of us had heard of. This was her. I was reminded of the faint scar on my stomach from that incident, and my eyes narrowed. I grabbed my spear from my belt and extended it, pointing it towards her.

"Who are you?" I asked quietly. Anger seeped into my words. "You're the one who sent those that attacked us in Asgard. What do you really want?"

She smirked. "Another impressive show of brilliance from the mind of Aurelia Nobelle. You're right. Unfortunately, there's more to my little visit than warning you about Yuan and his band of fools. I lied when I said I'm not taking you anywhere. There's some things we need to...discuss. You're going to have to come with me."

"Colette," I murmured, barely even moving my lips, barely even making a sound, "go get the others. Hurry."

Colette hesitated before she suddenly unfolded her wings and tried to retreat. Olivia snapped her fingers and a wall of shining light rose up, blocking Colette's path.

"Let's leave those _friends _of yours out of this, shall we? Unless you'd like to bring Lloyd Irving with you for our...discussions. That would certainly make my job quite easier."

"If you think you're getting his Exsphere, you can forget it!" I exclaimed.

She sighed. "Kvar really let a lot slip, didn't he?" She continued in a mutter, "He was probably so over-confident in his own abilities, as usual, that he didn't expect to be defeated." She shook her head. "Anyway, that Exsphere doesn't belong to Lloyd. His mother stole it, and it rightfully belongs to Lord Yggdrasill."

"His mother _died_ because of it!" I raged. "That damn thing is the last thing he has left of her, and he isn't going to just hand it over to the likes of _you. _I wouldn't expect you to know anything about _family_ or losing someone important."

My harsh tone actually made her flinch for a split second, so quickly I almost didn't see it.

"I hardly see how that matters. Besides, I'll return you to this group perfectly unharmed afterwards, and you can go to the Tower of Salvation and save the world and it will be all nice and lovely and good." She rolled her eyes. "Lloyd is the one I need to keep."

Beside me, Colette drew her chakrams and held them ready. I knew what she was probably thinking. There was no way we were letting her take Lloyd.

"Looks like they're gonna put up a fight," said one of the Desians. He drew his sword from his belt.

"Indeed they are." Olivia closed her eyes, and as she did the thin sword in her hand began to glow. The blade began to warp and thicken. It branched off into spikes and smaller blades, until the sword looked very much like a skeletal tree, void of all its leaves.

"Oh shit," said Devin. He gulped and leaned as far away from the sword as he could.

"I have no problem fighting you," said Olivia. She pointed the sword away from Devin, instead aiming it at Colette and I. "Just know that you really have no idea what you're dealing with."

My annoyance reached its peak and I shouted, "Will you just shut up already!? All you do is _talk!"_

A small smile crossed her face but she didn't respond. Then, without warning, she lunged forward, swinging sword gracefully towards me. I had to act quick and brought my spear up just in time to block the attack. The blade lodged into the shaft, digging in so deep that I feared it would snap in two. I pulled the spear away, twirling out of the way just in time. Olivia fell forward slightly but recovered almost instantly and was after me again.

Meanwhile, the other three Desians were closing in on Colette. Now that Ella was free, she ran to Devin and clung to his legs. The two watched as Colette was horribly outnumbered and I barely defended myself against Olivia.

I dodged another strike from her. As I passed by the group that Colette was barely fending off, I drove my spear through the chest of one of the Desians, dropping the number down to two.

"Killing your own people? Tsk tsk." Her sword sliced through my arm, the jagged nature of the blade making it a messy and painful one.

I gasped sharply and clutched at my arm. "Don't even _try _to make me feel guilty! I'm past that!" I swung my spear at her with my good arm. She easily dodged the attack.

"Are you?"

_No..._

"YES!" I lunged forward. "_Frenzy!" _I unleashed as many attacks as I could on her, but she dodged every one of them, and the pain in my arm was gradually escalating to agonizing. My spear dropped from my hand and I clutched at my arm. I breathed in sharp, quick breaths through my teeth. _W-What's wrong with my arm? The wound can't be that bad!_

Olivia smirked at me. "What's wrong? You're out of the fight after one little scratch? How disappointing."

"What is this?" I asked, my jaw clenched tightly from the pain.

She held her sword up and gazed at it proudly. "A special kind of poison that I whipped up my self. Extremely potent." She looked at me. "Don't worry, it won't kill you. It'll just slowly settle into your veins and then gradually spread through your entire body. Agonizingly painful, totally paralysing, but specially designed to _not_ kill you."

I gaped at her. "You...you..."

"I could cure it for you, if you'd like! All you have to do is come with me! Well, not that you have much of a choice if you're paralysed, right?"

The pain was horribly intense, but it wasn't spreading yet like she said. It was staying concentrated in one spot, making me consider cutting my arm off to escape it.

She laughed. "You're very much useless now. Watch." She brought her foot back and kicked me in the gut. I doubled over and dropped to my knees.

"Dammit!" I hissed. It was all I could do to not cry from the pain I was enduring. That was the last thing I would ever do – let this horrid woman have the satisfaction of seeing me cry.

Looking around, I realized that we'd very much lost the fight. Only one Desian remained, but he had Colette a sword point, unable to move with out being cut. Devin and Ella were free, but unable to run and get help due to this barrier Olivia had somehow erected. And then there was me, sitting broken on the ground with poisoned blood running down my arm and unable to help in any way.

"I really was expecting more out of that fight," Olivia sighed. She stared down at me sadly, her green eyes seeming to glint in the now darkness. Only a small trace of the sun remained to give light. "Oh well. I've gotten what I want. Now all I need to do is collect Lloyd Irving and my job will be complete."

I shook my head. I wouldn't let this happen. I had to do something. I had to fight.

I lifted my good hand, as shaky as it was. I feebly attempted to conjure a spell circle beneath me. Even a simple Fireball spell would do.

"Casting spells, even in your state? Do I have to knock you out or something?" She raised her sword.

I squeezed my eyes shut, bracing myself for the blow that would knock me into unconsciousness.

"_No!"_

My eyes flew open to see Devin standing in front of me with his arms outstretched. I gazed up at him in a state of shock.

Olivia narrowed her eyes. "Move, boy. This doesn't concern you. I've already spared your life."

"I won't let you touch her," he said fiercely.

"You know, I can control the intensity at which this blade administers the poison." The blade seemed to undulate like water in response. "Don't make me prove it to you."

"Devin," I choked. "_Run._ Don't do this..."

He glanced over his shoulder at me. His evergreen eyes looked black in the darkness. They shone with what could have been tears. I wasn't sure. His lips curved into a slight smile before turning back to Olivia.

"Go ahead," he spat. "Prove it. Either way, you're not getting to Aurelia without going through me."

She stared at him. That was all she did for a long time, and during that time her face was unreadable. Finally, she said one word, and I could have sworn she was pleading with him. "Move."

He shook his head.

Her jaw clenched. "Very well then." She drew her sword back.

"_Devin no!"_ I cried out. "Please, _run!"_

He didn't even look back this time. He just stood there as her sword shot forward and entered his stomach. Just stood there before crying out in pain and dropping to the ground in front of me.

In that moment, everything seemed to go slow. Dull. It seemed like an eternity before he hit the ground. A muffled shriek came from Ella, wherever she was. Another scream dully rang in my ears. I dimly wondered who it could be before I realized it was me. Once I did, everything came back into focus and I was assaulted by the horrible clarity of it all. My own screaming pierced my ears.

"Devin..." I whispered shakily, doing my best to crawl over to his body despite my pain. He was covered in blood – whether it was all his or mixed with mine, I didn't know.

"I warned him," Olivia said quietly.

I glared at her. I suddenly felt a rage that far surpassed anything I'd ever felt. "You...you-!"

I was cut off by a grunt of pain and the sound of a body dropping to the ground. Both Olivia and I looked back to see Kratos standing next to Colette, the dead Desian on the ground before them. His sword still dripped fresh blood.

"Kratos Aurion," Olivia said with contempt. "Perfect."

Lloyd and the others soon arrived as well, all of them taking in the bloody scene with varying expressions of shock and horror.

"What's happening?!" Lloyd explained. "What are Desians doing here?!"

Kratos approached Olivia, holding his sword towards her. "Stand back."

For the first time, she looked angry. For the first time, she was showing an expression other than smugness. All because of Kratos.

"Why should I listen to you?" she snapped.

He didn't react. "Stand back," he repeated more forcefully.

She sighed in annoyance. "Fine. I'll leave. But you know very well how this is going to end if I don't-"

"I don't know what you're talking about," he interrupted, reminding me very much of the way he often interrupted me. "Your mission is of no importance to me. Stand back."

She grumbled something incoherent and looked around at her dead soldiers. Realizing that they all were, in fact, dead, she sighed. She didn't utter another word before, as Yuan had done at Hima, faded away before our very eyes. Soon enough, she was gone.

One she was certain the woman was indeed gone, Raine immediately rushed to my side. "Aurelia, are you okay? Are you hurt?"

"She got my arm," I replied numbly. The rage had faded as quickly as it had arrived, and now I was left with a hollowness. A feeling that none of this was really happening, that it was all a dream. "That sword has this poison in it..." I briefly recounted Olivia's explanation of the poison, about how it was going to eventually infect my entire body. As I spoke, her eyes grew more and more alarmed.

"This sounds extremely serious," she said solemnly. "I fear that my abilities will not be enough to cure it, however it seems that it would be doable once we obtain the Unicorn Horn."

"Who cares about me!?" I exclaimed, despite the fact that my arm felt as though it were being eaten through by acid. "Devin has it way worse than I do!"

She glanced down at him. "But he isn't-"

As if on cue, Devon's body jerked violently and he let out a scream and began writhing in pain. The screams coming from his throat were unlike anything I'd ever heard. They were screams that were going to haunt my dreams for a long time.

"Raine!" I begged. "You need to help him!"

She gazed down dejectedly. "All I can do is heal the wound, which will do little to stop his pain."

Her face blurred before me. I blinked the blurriness away and its source trailed down my cheeks. "Raine, please..."

She nodded sadly and passed her staff over the bloody gash. As it healed, Devin's screams slowly lessened in intensity until he was simply groaning and breathing heavily.

"Devin, are you okay?" I asked. My voice broke several times.

He let out a long groan and craned his neck to look over at me. "Aurelia...hey how's it going?" He sounded incredibly weak and in pain, yet still managed to be casual about it.

"Why did you do that!?" I demanded. "Don't you realize how stupid it was?"

He smiled, his eyes closing with the motion. "Of course I do. But because I did it, the others got here in time to save you." He let out a laugh that quickly turned into a cough. "Looks like_ I _saved _you_, doesn't it?"

I could feel more tears steadily running down my face. "But now you're poisoned too! The pain that you're in...it must be..."

He winced. "K-Kind of unbearable actually. It's already spreading. What a bitch."

I shook my head quickly. "No." I began struggling to my feet, only to be hit by a dizzy spell and fall back down. Raine hadn't healed my arm yet, and I was still losing blood.

She noticed this and began healing it. "What is it Aurelia?" she asked.

"Raine we need to leave Luin right now," I said desperately. "We need to get that Unicorn Horn for Devin!"

"Aurelia's right," said Lloyd. "If that poison is as bad as she said it is, we don't have any time to waste!"

Raine's face was grave, her eyes cast downwards and filled with sorrow. "Lloyd...Aurelia..."

"What Raine is about to say is right," Devin said. Speaking was difficult for him, and every word was strained. "By the time you get the Unicorn Horn and come back here, this poison will have spread through my whole body."

I didn't like his tone. I looked at him cautiously as he spoke.

"This pain I feel right now...I'm being one brave bastard by not screaming and crying because of it, and it's only in one place. Thinking about feeling this pain in every part of my body, and about being paralysed and helpless because of it-"

The light when on in my head as I realized what he was saying. "Devin, no..."

"-I'm not brave enough to face something like that. So Aurelia, I need to ask you a favour."

"I won't do it!" I cried. "I won't kill you!"

A faint smile crossed his face. "You catch on quick." The smiled quickly left, replaced by a pained and pleading look. "Aurelia, I'm _begging_ you-" He grabbed my hand and held onto it with a weak grip. "The time it'll take for you to get back...staying in pain all that time, I'm not brave enough to do it." He started to cry. "I'm a coward. I'm scared of hurting. I don't want anything to hurt."

"_I won't!" _I screamed. "_No! There's no way!"_ My screaming fell into choked sobs that I fought to contain. I couldn't do it. There was no way I could bring myself to kill Devin, even if it was his suffering. He couldn't leave. I needed him to talk to. I needed him to be alive. I needed him to-

All of a sudden I felt disgusted with myself. All of these reasons I had for wanting to keep him alive were completely selfish. All because _I _needed him. Not a single thought of Ella or Rodrick. This wasn't about what any of _us_ needed, though. It was about Devin. And this was his one plea. He was right, and I wasn't going to make him go through such torturous pain.

"I'll miss you..." I said finally.

He smiled again. He knew the choice I had made. "Thank you. Oh Aurelia, thank you so much."

Raine helped me stand, and I steadied myself against her as I attempted to position my spear properly in my good hand. Luckily the pain had begun to ease a bit, and I was able to see more clearly.

"Hide Ella," I murmured. "I don't want her to see this."

The young girl was horribly confused as to what was going on, however this didn't stop her from kicking and screaming when Sheena picked her up and shielded her eyes.

I gripped my spear. The full moon now washed everything with a pearly glow, making Devin's now ghostly features all to clear to me. I took a deep breath and raised my spear into the air. I noticed it shook horribly. I gave Devin one last look. "Devin...thank you so much. For everything." I sniffed, letting the wind dry what was left of my tears. It did little to repair my wobbly voice, however. "I'll never forget you, and I promise I'll get revenge."

It looked like he shook his head, but I couldn't be quite sure. It could have easily been a spasm from the pain.

"Good-bye..."

His hand rose and his fingers curled in and out at a weak attempt at a wave. "See ya. I...good luck. Always remember..." He continued the next part without sound, simply mouthing the words to me. Somehow, they came out perfectly clear: "You're not like them. You're different."

I was reminded of when Raine said this to Genis in the Palmacosta ranch. I was briefly filled with that same joy, the same release that came at the fact that I was me, no matter what race I was born into. I didn't have to be like them. I wasn't.

It left in an instant as, making sure it was in the right position, I squeezed my eyes shut and brought my spear down with full force. The blade pierced through flesh. Through a heart that stopped beating. It could have been mine, as suddenly - I felt absolutely dead inside.

* * *

**Yeah, so...yeah. **


	21. Obtaining the Cure

**Ahh I've been having major writer's block all summer, I'm so sorry. Now that I'm in school again, although I have less time to work on this, my brain is functioning more properly so I will work on it whenever I have time. Stupid summer brain -.-**

**Anyways, thank you for patiently waiting (or impatiently, if that's the case). Here it is~!**

* * *

"_What is the meaning of this?"_

I froze at the roar that erupted behind me. A cold rush of fear swept through me, especially once I heard Ella crying out for her father, and the situation was confirmed for me.

I turned around, every inch of my body trembling in fear. "Rodrick, I-"

Devin's father ignored me and shoved right past me. I clutched at my arm in pain.

"Devin!" he exclaimed. His voice was thick with tears. "_My son!" _He turned around. Fury and utter heartbreak were etched onto every feature of his face. "_What have you done? You killed him!"_

"Rodrick, please, you don't understand! I didn't kill him!"

"_I saw you!" _he roared. "_I saw you do it!"_

"Please, he wanted me to do it! He was poison-"

"_Liar!"_ He gripped my shoulders and shook me. I cried out at the pain this sent coursing through my arm. "He would never! He wouldn't!"

"No," I said pleadingly. "It wasn't my-!"

"It was a Desian woman."

Kratos's calm voice was enough to silence Rodrick. He glared at the mercenary and said, "What do you mean?"

"A Desian woman by the name of Olivia came here looking for Aurelia," he continued to explain. "She attacked Aurelia with a sword containing a deadly poison. Devin tried to protect her and suffered a wound himself. He asked Aurelia to end his life to relieve him of the pain. Out of mercy. She was merely fulfilling his wishes."

Rodrick was speechless. He stared at Kratos in disbelief before finally turning back to me. His voice was hoarse when he spoke. "Is this true?"

I nodded numbly. "Yes. I'm so sorry..."

He stared at the ground for a moment before I felt his hands clench on my shoulders and he cursed loudly.

I flinched, startled.

"This wouldn't have happened," he said quietly. "If you hadn't returned here."

I blinked. My eyes drifted sadly to the ground. I couldn't say anything. He was right.

"You promised the Desians wouldn't bother this town anymore," he went on. "You broke that promise." He shoved me away from him. I stumbled back.

One glare towards Sheena and she reluctantly set Ella down on the ground. The child ran towards her father and clung to his side, wailing loudly. Rodrick held her to his side and stared down at his son's body.

"I think it would be best if you left Luin."

"Rodrick..." I was fighting to keep myself under control when inside it felt like cold fire, burning everything it could and yet coating my heart with ice at the same time. I hesitantly approached him. "Please believe that I'm terribly sorry. Believe me, this was never what I wanted to-"

"_LEAVE!" _He whipped his head around to yell it at me. Closeup like this, every angry feature was perfectly clear, and his resemblance to his son was so great that I backed away. At that point, I found myself unable to say anything at all. I simply nodded solemnly and took a few steps back, fixing my gaze at the now blood-soaked ground beneath me. I didn't feel my arm. I didn't feel any pain over losing Devin. I didn't feel much of anything really. My thoughts were cloaked in a thick haze.

"Right..." I heard Raine say. "Well, we'll just go gather our things."

Rodrick was past listening to what any of us had to say. He stood, his back turned to us all, and held his crying daughter at his side. His own shoulders were shaking. I couldn't watch. I turned and left before anyone else had the chance to.

* * *

"Alright, now explain what happened."

I stared down at my hands, which were folded and resting on my lap. We all now sat gathered around a camp fire outside of Luin. No one had understood why we were leaving. None of us could bear to explain what had just happened. We'd simply gathered our things and left.

And now here we were, and the others wanted much-needed answers.

"Aurelia?" Raine pressed when I didn't respond to her the first time.

Living through the incident had been enough. I didn't think I could handle having to relive it. In fact, I kind of wanted to just forget about it altogether, however I knew that wasn't going to happen, so I reluctantly began to speak.

"Colette came over and told me that she'd heard something. She seemed pretty worried, and Devin..." I felt a pain at saying his name but forced myself to keep going. "Devin and Ella hadn't returned yet, so we decided to go and check it out. That's when we came across this Olivia woman and a group of Desians who had them held captive. At first I thought they were looking for Colette, but when we showed ourselves it turned out she was actually looking for me. And Lloyd."

"Me?" Lloyd said in surprise.

I nodded. "I assume it has to do with that Exsphere of yours."

"But why would she be looking for you?" Genis wondered.

"I'm...not sure." It wasn't a lie, although I still felt somehow that I was withholding the truth from them. "She said there was things we needed to 'discuss' and then she'd return me to the group. Anyway, we got into a fight, but she was _really_ strong, and she was able to...manipulate her blade somehow. She had spiked it with this poison that's now in my veins, and as she tried to deal another blow to incapacitate me..." I shrugged, starting to feel myself get choked up over what happened next. "Well, you know what happened."

Raine nodded sadly. "Yes. So it would appear that this woman is the Olivia that we heard of back in Asgard."

I nodded. "The same."

"But there's only five Grand Cardinals, right?" Sheena spoke up. "If she isn't one of them, what makes her so important?"

"That doesn't matter," said Kratos. "The fact of the matter is we have a powerful enemy that could very well be coming after us from now on. We must proceed with caution, if this poison she wields is as threatening as it appears."

I rubbed my arm absently at this. The poison was managing to stay in one place, thankfully, and periodically downing apple gels seemed to work to subdue the pain enough so that it was bearable.

"Getting the Unicorn Horn is now even more important," said Raine. "With you being injured, Aurelia, we've lost you as a fighter-"

"Wait, what?" I interrupted. My head shot up. "That's not true! I can still fight!"

"Aurelia you can barely even move your right arm without feeling pain," Sheena pointed out. "How do you expect to fight?"

"I'll use my left arm!" I said stubbornly, despite the fact that my spear was a two-handed weapon. "Or I'll cast spells! Something! I'm not going to just be useless on the sidelines and let you do all of the fighting."

Raine sighed. "We'll see," was all she said. I was fairly certain she was only saying it to appease me, but for now it was good enough.

My arm was in such pain that night that it was difficult for me to fall asleep. When I finally did, nightmares of Devin's death made me wake up crying. I ended up just laying awake for a while before finally abandoning sleep. I instead stayed awake with Lloyd, who reluctantly was taking watch at the time. He glanced over at me when I sat up.

"Hey, what are you doing still awake?" He rubbed at his eyes tiredly.

"I can't sleep," I told him. "My arm hurts, nightmares..."

He frowned sympathetically. "Oh, right...um, how are you doing anyway?"

I shrugged. "I thought I'd be worse. I thought I'd be some kind of non-functioning mess, but...I'm doing better than I'd hoped." I sniffed involuntarily and focused on a blurry point in the darkness to trap the tears inside my eyes.

His frown didn't leave. Clearly, he wasn't convinced. "Aurelia..."

I forced a smile. "Lloyd, you don't have to worry about me. I'll be fine." Whether this was a lie or not, I wasn't completely sure. "If you're going to worry about anyone, worry about Rodrick and Ella. They lost _another_ member of their family to the Desians."

"That woman," Lloyd half-growled. I could slowly see the sleepiness in his eyes being replaced with pure rage. "I can't believe she did that! I mean, what could she want from you that's so important that she has to kill people to get it! _Innocent_ people too! I mean, she had a little girl captive, at knife point!"

"Shh." I pressed a finger to my lips, motioning at the others sleeping. "You'll wake someone up."

"Sorry," he said, lowering his voice. "I just don't understand how the Desians can be so cruel! There's nothing good about any of them!"

I swallowed past the lump in my throat. The tears I'd held back before were threatening to spill again, this time for a completely different reason.

"Y-Yeah, they really are," I said rather hoarsely. "But remember Lloyd, that she was after you too. The Desians really want that Exsphere of yours."

He held up his hand to examine the blue gem. "Well I'll never let them have it! My mother died to keep this from them and protect me, and I don't plan on just handing it over to them." His fierce tone faded a bit. "Still, I wonder what it is about this Exsphere in particular that's so important to them."

"Kvar said something about an Angelus Project," I recalled. "Maybe they succeeded in making a stronger type of Exsphere."

"Well if that's the case, they're definitely not getting it!" His clenched his fist determinedly.

I smiled and reached for my bag and rummaged around for an apple gel. I screwed the top off the tiny jar and dumped the contents into my mouth. I realized that applying it directly would probably work better to ease the pain, but the pain it would cause applying it wasn't worth it, I decided.

"Don't worry, we'll fix that arm of yours!"

I had to laugh at that. "Are you always so...optimistic?"

He grinned. "Of course!"

* * *

The next day, we started on our way to Asgard. We considered stopping at Lake Umacy to see what Sheena thought of the unicorn, but we decided that we didn't really have much time for it so we instead continued the journey until we reached the House of Salvation. We stayed there for the night, then continued on to Asgard, and so on. Aside from Noishe _finally _rejoining us after all this time, the journey was very uneventful, so there isn't really much for me to report. Instead, I'll skip right to when we reached Thoda.

Like the last time we'd visited here, which seemed so long ago, I wasn't overly impressed with the so-called "tourist attraction". Not that it mattered. We were here for more serious matters anyway. Sheena had to complete the pact.

We spoke with the girl at the desk inside the building, who happened to be the same girl as before, Candy.

"I remember you!" she exclaimed as we approached. "You should have told me that you were the Chosen's group!"

Colette gasped in surprise.

"How did you find that out?" asked Genis.

She didn't respond. "Wow, who knew that one of the holy Seals of Regeneration was right here at the Thoda Geyser! Are you all returning to the geyser?"

Kratos didn't bother pursuing how she knew about Colette. "Yes, we will require use of the...boats."

"You mean washtubs," Lloyd muttered.

I heard Raine make a very audible gulp.

"Just go ahead and use them!" Candy said happily. "There's no way I could accept money from the Chosen! Feel free to visit the geyser whenever you want to, no charge~!"

From the look on Colette's face, I could tell that this was the reason she rarely told people she was the Chosen.

"Thank-you," Sheena said politely. We proceeded outside and headed for the dock. We all separated into the wash tubs, much to Raine's absolute horror. Since we had an extra person this time, Lloyd forced Noishe to stay behind so that there was room for Sheena. Noishe wasn't too happy about it, but there just wasn't room for him.

As we were boarding the washtubs, Sheena paused and turned to the group. "I feel like I should warn you all, there is probably going to be a battle once we reach the seal."

"A battle?" Lloyd repeated. "Sheena, you never told us anything about a battle!"

"I-I know, I'm sorry," she said uncomfortably. "I've been meaning to, but..." She trailed off, looking nervous suddenly. Corrine appeared on her shoulder.

"Sheena," he squeaked, "are you sure about this? You can still-"

"I'm sorry," Sheena interrupted. "Anyway, I just wanted to let you know. The Summon Spirits always like to test the power of the summoner who's making the pact."

"That makes sense," said Raine. I couldn't help but notice she looked a little bit green.

"Wait," said Lloyd. He turned to me. "Aurelia, are you sure you want to come? If there's a fight you might get-"

"I'm going," I snapped. I didn't mean to be angry, but this arm and all the pain and inconvenience it was causing me was really starting to irk me. The haze that had previously cloaked my thoughts was still present, however it was gradually starting to be tinted with red.

With that being said, we piled into our washtubs and started across the ocean to the geyser. Since we knew how to better work the washtubs, the trip over was smoother and quicker than last time. I soon felt my feet touch wood as I climbed out of the washtub I had shared with Colette and onto the docks.

"I'll never get used to that," Raine mumbled as she practically crawled out of her washtub. Her sweat-coated face was a faint shade of green.

"Alright, let's go get that Summon Spirit!" Lloyd said cheerfully.

Sheena nodded silently.

Like the last time, we waited until the crowd dispersed before entering. It felt weird going through the seal and not having to solve any of its puzzles. There were still monsters to fight (Lloyd let out a visible shudder at the sight of the oversized, seemingly harmless starfish), but our time going through the seal was cut down considerably, considering that the path led straight to the teleporter.

Sheena hesitated before stepping onto the teleporter. We all waited expectantly behind her.

"You okay?" Lloyd asked her.

She jumped slightly and turned around. "Oh, r-right. Yeah, I'm fine. Let's go." She smiled sheepishly, but there was something troubling about her eyes.

We all gathered onto the teleporter and when the dizzying, falling sensation and blinding light cleared, we were in the seal room. It looked the exact same as it did before. I couldn't help but feel a sense of relief that one, Remiel would not be present during our visit here, and two, that I (hopefully) wasn't going to be dragged underwater by freakish mer-monsters. _Hopefully _neither of these things were going to happen.

"Alright, Sheena!" said Lloyd. He motioned towards the altar. "Please do the pact thing."

"Pact...hmm..." Kratos murmured thoughtfully. A puzzled frown passed over his face.

"O-Okay," Sheena agreed. She looked over at the altar, calm and still for the time being. "Although, I'm a little scared..."

"Don't be scared, Sheena," I said encouragingly. "I know you can do it." The smile I gave her felt weird and out of place.

Colette nodded and flashed her an encouraging smile in agreement.

This seemed to lift her spirits slightly. "Alright. I'll do it." She took a deep breath and approached the altar.

At first, nothing happened. Then, slowly, deep blue mana began to swirl into existence. It grew and grew until it became a dense, cerulean cloud that continued to swirl and form until it finally, without warning, let off a brilliant light that shook the room.

When the chaos cleared, a beautiful woman floated above the altar. Beautiful was an understatement, actually. Her beauty seemed was so...magical, as though it were something not meant for this world. Her hair flowed around her as if it was made of water, and her blue skin glowed softly. Her dress of deep blue and aqua tones almost seemed melded with her body, and her eyes, deeper and bluer than any possible ocean, gazed upon us curiously.

"You who possess the right of the pact." Her voice was haunting. Melodious. "I am one who is bound to Mithos. What is your name?"

_Huh, like Mithos the Hero, _I mused silently. _What a funny coincidence that she'd be bound to someone named-_

Wait a minute. She was already bound to someone? What did this mean for Sheena? Was she going to be able to make the pact? I glanced over at her to see a tiny frown form on her face. Although she appeared confused like I was, she at least seemed to be less nervous.

"'Mithos'?" Lloyd repeated, his eyes wide with disbelief. "The hero of the Kharlan War?"

"So not only was Mithos a swordsman," Genis began in awe, "but he had the ability to summon as well?"

"Mithos is a common boy's name," Raine said calmly. "It's not necessarily Mithos the Hero. In fact, I find it rather unlikely."

Sheena wiped the confusion from her face and took a confident stance. "I am Sheena! I seek a pact with Undine!"

"I see. However, as things stand now...I cannot."

Sheena's eyes grew wide with shock. Her face paled. "What! W-Why not?" I could see her panic quickly rising.

"I am already bound by a pact," Undine explained calmly. "I cannot form two pacts at the same time."

"You mean your pact with this Mithos guy?" Sheena gave a frustrated sigh and turned to face the rest of us. "What am I supposed to do now? They never said anything about this at the research institute!"

Lloyd thought about it a moment. "Umm...hmm...can't you just get her to cancel the old pact?"

"How?" she exclaimed. "We don't even have any idea where this Mithos person is!"

"A Summon Spirit pact requires a vow," Kratos spoke up. "As long as the pact-maker upholds that vow, the pact remains valid."

Well, let's add another item to the list of Things Kratos Has Inexplicable Knowledge About.

"That is correct," said Undine.

"I know about that," Sheena said, seeming almost annoyed As if reciting from a textbook, she said, "The Summon Spirit approves the pact-maker's vow and agrees to the pact."

"Exactly," said Kratos. "Therefore, all you need to do is follow Lloyd's advice-"

I almost had to choke back a laugh at hearing Kratos say that.

"-and request the annulment of the previous pact and form a new one. It's possible that the previous pact-maker has broken his vow. Or he may have already...passed away."

"You seem to know an awfully lot about it," I piped up.

"Is it really that simple?" Genis wondered.

Kratos ignored my comment, as I'd thought he would, and instead chose to answer Genis. "I suppose you could call it simple," he said after considering it, "but if the previous pact-maker is still alive and hasn't broken his vow, then there's nothing we can do about it."

Colette grabbed Lloyd's hand and began writing in it. "But...we...need...to...form...the...pact...so...we...can...save...Pietro...and...Clara." He looked up from his hand and nodded. "Colette is right. Can you try and annul the pact, Sheena?"

She shot a nervous glance back at Undine, who floated patiently behind us while we worked things out. "Okay. I'll give it a shot." She turned fully around and set a confident tone to her voice. "Undine! I am Sheena! I ask that thou annulst thy pact with Mithos, and establish a new pact..." She gulped. "With me."

Undine gazed at her contemplatively for a few long seconds before seeming to come to a conclusion. "Before I can allow the formation of a new pact, I must test your worthiness as a pact-maker. Draw your weapons."

"W-Wait, you mean you'll do it?" Sheena asked hopefully.

"Only if you prove that you are worthy of my power," she replied. "You mustn't hold back. I shall require your full power; therefore the girl and the swordsman will not be permitted to battle."

I felt all eyes fall on me at the mention of "girl". I didn't mean to speak out of turn in front of a Summon Spirit, as it felt...wrong, somehow, but I couldn't help it when I blurted, "_What?_ Why can't I?"

"I can sense the poison that runs through your veins," she expressed. "It hinders the use of your arm, and therefore your weapon. There is no way your true strength could be accessed, and therefore you may not partake in this battle.

I bit down on my lip to keep myself from lashing out at her. It was extremely unfair! However, we needed this pact to save Pietro, and I had to admit that I could barely move my arm without feeling pain, so I kept quiet about my protests and reluctantly moved myself to the side of the room. I crossed my arms across my chest and waited for the battle to begin, however Undine continued to stare expectantly at Kratos.

It was then that we all clued in to the second part of Undine's statement, "the girl and the swordsman".

"Wait a sec!" Lloyd protested. "Kratos can't fight either? Why not?"

"I sense he will hold back," was all Undine had to offer in response. "Either he stands down as well or the battle shall not take place and the pact shall not be formed."

I tried to read Kratos's expression, to see if he had any idea as to why this was happening, but he looked as clueless as the rest of us.

"Very well," he said shortly. Without another word, he joined me off to the side.

"What's that all about?" I asked him curiously.

His jaw locked, the only sign that he was annoyed at the situation. "I couldn't tell you."

"Worry not. The attacks of battle shall not harm you," Undine told us. She turned to the others and held one arm out to the side. The water from the surrounding pool lifted into the air and swirled around her arm. It formed into the shape of a large sword, which she then pointed at the group. "Let it begin!"

Sheena, Lloyd, Genis, Raine and Colette all readied their weapons and got into formation.

Undine started right away by forming a blue spell circle beneath her. Genis, Raine and Colette began casting while Lloyd and Sheena charged at her to try and stop her from casting the spell.

Just as they reached her, she completed the spell. "_Spread." _

A huge pillar of water shot out of the ground, sending anyone who was caught underneath it flying into the air and slamming into the ground. I flinched as the resulting water rained down on Kratos and I.

When the water cleared and everyone could see again, Undine was no where to be seen. There was no sound in the chamber except for the dripping of water and the groans of the people in the group struggling to get up.

"Where did she go?" Lloyd coughed.

I suddenly heard a splash behind me. I jumped and whirled around to stare down into the water. It was still for a moment before a current formed, headed towards...

"_Sheena, watch out!"_ I exclaimed.

Sheena whirled around just as the water rose up behind her. She dove out of the way, and the water crashed down on the spot where she previously stood. Undine rose up out of the water and slashed her with her sword. Before Sheena had time to counter, Undine turned to water once more. The room was once again silent.

"She can turn to water at will," Kratos murmured beside me. "This could prove to be a difficult battle."

I nodded, scanning the room and water for any signs of movement.

"There!" Lloyd cried, running in Raine's direction. Raine did a sort of twirl out of the way as Undine rose up behind her. Lloyd blocked the oncoming sword that had been meant for Raine with his own, then began slashing at the Summon Spirit as quickly as he could before she melted into water again. Surprisingly enough, however, she didn't melt right away. She fought off Lloyd with her own sword long enough for Colette and Genis to hit her with some spells.

She melted into water again, soon reforming in front of Genis to block his constant spell-casting. She kept at the three spell-casters until Sheena bombarded her with a series of attacks, ending in Pyre Seal. Undine was knocked back, melting into water as she hit the ground.

Colette threw her chakrams in a seemingly random direction. It turned out to be not so random after all as Undine rose up behind Lloyd, just in time to be sliced by the flying discs.

Seeing that Undine was caught off guard, Lloyd took the opportunity to unleash a combo of attacks on her, starting with Sonic Thrust and ending with Beast. Like before, Undine turned to water as she hit the ground.

Almost immediately after turning to water, she rose up again and instantly unleashed an Aqua Edge spell. The large water discs shot out and sliced at everyone's skin. Sheena took most of the attack, however. It was clear that while everyone (well, except for Kratos and I) was battling, Sheena was the one whose power Undine was most concerned with. After all, it was her who would be forming the pact.

While everyone was recovering from Undine's first spell, she began casting another, which turned out to be Spread. The huge pillar of water rose up underneath Sheena at alarming speed, slamming her into the ceiling of the room and back down to the floor when it instantly vanished.

She struggled with getting back up until Raine cast First Aid. With her renewed strength, she was able to leap to her feet and out of the way of an incoming sword attack. She then joined with Lloyd in assaulting the Summon Spirit with as many attacks as they could before she sent out an explosion of water, sending everyone around her flying back. The attack even managed to hit both Kratos and I, which shocked me. I had to hold onto Kratos's arm to keep from being knocked back into the pool behind us.

"That's not fair!" I protested, glaring at Undine as she momentarily melted into a sort of stream that quickly flowed behind Colette and unleashed a series of sword attacks on her when she rose again. "I thought we weren't allowed to battle!"

Kratos shrugged his arm out of my grip. "We aren't. That doesn't mean that we are completely immune to this battle's effects, however."

"Well that's cheap," I grumbled.

Water began rushing out of the surrounding pool, forming into humanoid shapes until there were ten identical forms of Undine surrounding the group, with no way of telling which one was the original. They closed in on the group.

"Which one is the real Undine?" Lloyd exclaimed, glancing around the group. He raised his swords to block an attack from one of them and a loud clang resounded through the chamber as sword struck sword. However, when Lloyd swung his own swords to counter, they passed right through Undine as though she was water.

"We'll just have to attack all of them!" Sheena shouted, lunging at one of them with her cards. She stumbled as she nearly passed right through the figure.

At the mention of this strategy, the many Undines scattered around the room and began shooting off Aqua Edge spells and attacking with their swords.

I scanned the group, searching desperately for any sign that would give away the real Undine. Then I saw it. One of them standing ever-so-slightly apart from the rest with a spell circle lit up beneath her.

"Try that one!" I shouted, pointing towards her.

Sheena nodded and ran towards her. A Spread spell erupted from the spot where she'd just stood. Sheena unleashed a fierce combo on Undine, knocking her off balance and causing all of the other figures to turn to water and splash to the ground.

When Undine regained her balance, she began lashing at Sheena with a rapid series of sword attacks. As Lloyd and attempted to rush to her rescue, Undine lifted one hand and a wall of water rose up, cutting her and Sheena off from the others.

"Dammit!" Lloyd attempted to pass through the wall, but soon found it impenetrable, despite the fact that it was only made from water. He pounded his fists and slashed at it with his swords, but nothing worked.

Meanwhile, with no one to back her up, Sheena found herself unable to block any of the attacks Undine was throwing at her. The Summon Spirit was relentless, and I was starting to worry that Sheena wasn't going to last.

"_Corrine!" _Sheena cried out between hits.

Corrine appeared in a puff of smoke and latched himself on to Undine's face. He dug his claws deep into her flesh, giving Sheena an opening to let loose a flurry of cards, seemingly endless.

Undine pried Corrine off of her face and tossed him aside. He disappeared in a cloud of smoke before hitting the ground. Even with free of the tiny Summon Spirit, Undine was still finding it difficult to dodge any of Sheena's attacks. Sheena just continued to bombard her with attacks until finally, Undine wasn't able to keep the wall of water up. It crashed to the ground, and Lloyd rushed in to help Sheena.

The two kept at Undine, and with all of the spells Colette and Genis were throwing her way, it was clear that her strength was draining.

Finally, Undine spoke, her voice echoing through the chamber. "Enough." Her body exploded in a burst of water and mana, pushing everyone back. She reappeared at the altar, and although her face was expressionless, I couldn't help but think she looked somewhat pleased.

"Splendid," she said. Her lips curved into the slightest of smiles. "Now, swear your vow. Upon what vow do you form our pact?"

Sheena glanced back at us, as if for reassurance, before fixing her gaze on Undine. "Right now, at this very moment, there are people who are suffering. I vow to save those people."

Undine nodded once. "Understood. I pledge my power to you, Sheena!" Her body began to evaporate into the very same mana we had seen floating above the altar before. It gathered together until it was merely a sparkle in the air and then shot towards Sheena.

Sheena unclenched her fist to reveal a glimmering aquamarine that almost seemed to radiate mana. Her shoulders dropped with a sort of relief that she'd done it. She'd made the pact with Undine.

Kratos and I rejoined the others, who were now all gathered around Sheena.

"Sheena, you did it!" Genis cheered.

Colette grabbed Sheena's hand and began writing with her finger on Sheena's palm. She smiled brightly when she was finished.

"Wow...congratulations," Sheena read. She smiled at her happily. "Thanks, Colette."

"Now we can finally meet the unicorn!" Lloyd said excitedly. "And maybe we can even get Colette healed, too!" He grinned at Colette, who returned the smile somewhat hesitantly.

"You really did great, Sheena," I told her. "I don't see why you were so nervous!"

"I wasn't nervous!" she said snappishly.

"Yeah you were..."

"_No, I wasn't!"_

"_Ugh, it was a compliment, just accept it!"_

"Children, please," Raine said with a sigh. "We should be on our way already. We don't have time for bickering."

"Sorry," we mumbled in unison.

* * *

"So I wonder whatever happened to this Mithos guy," said Lloyd, folding his hands behind his head as he walked. After spending the night at then House of Salvation-type building in Thoda, we continued back on our way to Lake Umacy. The long walk here was finally catching up with everyone, I think, because hardly anyone spoke that night. We were only just now getting to really talk in any detail about what had happened at the seal.

"Summoning has been gone for Sylvarant for a while, right?" I said. "He's probably dead by now."

"But what if he was an elf or half-elf?" Genis wondered aloud. "And he's still alive somewhere?"

I shrugged. "If that's the case, then he would have had to have broken his pact somehow."

"It is most likely that he's passed on," said Kratos.

Raine looked at him. Her eyes held a curiosity that I'd seen far too often already. The suspicious kind of curiosity that prompted her to poke at secrets.

"Kratos, you really knew a lot about how a pact works back at the seal," she said thoughtfully. "You have an impressive array of knowledge."

"I had an acquaintance who knew a bit about Summon Spirits," he said calmly, his voice without a single hitch. "That's all."

Her gaze didn't waver, and the suspicion in her eyes grew. However, all she responded with was, "...I see."

_His tone was a bit short,_ I thought to myself. _He ignored my comment about his knowledge of pacts when we were at the seal as well._

I found it odd, but quickly remembered our truce and that I wasn't supposed to be prying into his past, or secrets or whatever it was in this particular incident.

"I can't wait for you to summon Undine!" Lloyd said excitedly to Sheena. "It's gonna be awesome!"

"I'm so proud of you, Sheena!" Corrine piped up from her shoulder. "You did so well!"

She blushed slightly at all the praise she continued to receive. "Ah, thanks! Hopefully the unicorn will help us."

"Of course it will!" Lloyd exclaimed. "It'll owe us for saving its life!"

Raine almost looked uncomfortable at this comment, for some reason. Then again, I _was_ in the habit of over-analyzing everyone's actions, so I could easily have been reading into it too much.

Anyway, Noishe rejoined with us not long after leaving Thoda, and came and went as we progressed towards Lake Umacy. The trip seemed somehow shorter this time around, and we soon arrived at the lake.

Lloyd ran towards the water once we got there. "Okay, go on Sheena! Ask Undine to take us over there!"

"Wait," Kratos spoke up. "That's...not going to work."

Everyone but Raine and Sheena looked puzzled.

"Why not?" asked Genis. "I thought all we needed to do was get Undine?"

Raine looked almost...awkward, as she answered his question. "The unicorn...can only be approached by a pure maiden."

...ah. Now I was informed.

"At the very least, Lloyd, Genis and I are out," said Kratos.

"'At the very least'?" Lloyd repeated with confusion. "But you said only girls can go, right? So that's Colette, Raine-"

"Ah...no, I'll have to remain behind as well," Raine interrupted hastily.

It took a moment for this statement to sink in, but when it did, I had to hold back a laugh.

"Why can't you go?" Lloyd pressed. "You're a female too!"

"Because Raine isn't a _pure_ maiden anymore..."I muttered quietly. I shrunk back at the glare she shot me before looking at Lloyd again.

"I-I'm an adult," she said simply, colour flaring up in her cheeks. "I'm not a maiden anymore."

"But Raine-" Genis began.

"I'm staying here," she said sharply, ending the argument right there. Her cheeks had grown very red. "But I don't know what else we can do now. We can't simply send Colette on her own when she's like this..."

My head shot up. "Wait,_ what?" _My mouth hung open in pure shock at what she was suggesting.

Sheena, too, looked indignant. "Hey! Are you saying that we're not _qualified?"_

Lloyd, Genis and Colette all looked confused at our outrage.

"Qualified...?" Lloyd and Genis said together.

"You don't have to both say it at once!" Sheena snapped at them.

"Raine, are you _serious_ right now?" I said angrily. "I certainly am 'qualified' to go see the unicorn, thank-you very much!"

"Me too!" Sheena fumed.

"Oh...my apologies," she said awkwardly. "It's just, with that outfit Sheena, and Aurelia I thought surely with Devin that maybe-"

"_No,"_ said Sheena, her face pink with anger and no doubt embarrassment. I, meanwhile, was unsure whether to be angry, embarrassed, or hurt at the mention of Devin's name. It was an unpleasant combination of all three, I decided.

"We're going to the unicorn," I huffed.

"I'm confused," Lloyd groaned as he rubbed his forehead. Colette nodded in agreement.

"It would be best to just let it go," Kratos said shortly.

Sheena sighed impatiently. "A-Alright, I'm going to summon now!" She approached the water, aquamarine clasped tightly in her hand. She took a deep breath before reciting, "_I call upon the Maiden of the Mist. I summon thee...come, Undine!"_

The water began to burble and slosh around. It rose, twisting upwards in a spiral, until the spiral gained shape and formed to become Undine. She floated above the water patiently, awaiting Sheena's command.

"Please, Undine. Take us to the unicorn," Sheena requested.

Undine nodded her head once. "As you wish." She lifted her arm behind her.

The water began to ripple violently, crashing against the banks as if a fierce wind was blowing. It continued to do so until finally, I could see the cause. The water in the lake was parting, creating a perfectly dry path leading to the unicorn, which was still trapped in a cage of branches.

I heard Lloyd start shouting about how cool it was, however I blocked it out and followed Sheena and Colette down the bank of the lake and towards the unicorn.

Sheena pushed away the branches when she reached it, throwing them out of the way until the unicorn was finally free from its prison. It lifted its head as she cleared the final branch, and in a graceful motion, leaped to its feet.

Standing upright, it was absolutely beautiful. It was pure white, the setting sun casting an amber glow on it. Its horn was...I couldn't even quite describe it. It looked to be made of some sort of pearly crystal, catching the suns dim rays and reflecting them in a dazzling pattern on the still-parted water. It was just so...pure.

A voice echoing in my mind startled me out of my daze.

_Martel?_

The three of us jumped at the voice, and then proceeded to glance at each other in confusion. What was it talking about?

"Martel? You mean the Goddess Martel?" Sheena questioned.

Colette gazed at the unicorn, and it gazed back briefly for a moment before speaking again, only this time it seemed like it was answering a question.

_No? You are Colette, and those who stand with you are called Sheena and Aurelia?_

Sheena looked from Colette to the unicorn, and as she did, realization dawned on her face. "Wait a minute, you can hear Colette's voice?"

_Yes...but you are not Martel? This presence, this mana...and this sickness...Even in my blindness it is clear. You are Martel._

Colette eyed it curiously. Cautiously.

_I exist to save the awakened Martel from her sickness...To cure the sickness you have._

The unicorn could save Colette. Did that mean it could cure her of this Angel Toxicosis? Could it help her get back the things that made her human?

Sheena exchanged a hopeful glance with me. "Then please, save Colette! The horn of a unicorn has that kind of power, right?"

Colette started slightly, shaking her head. We both glanced quickly at her, but before either of us could say anything the unicorn was speaking again, clearly in response to whatever Colette had silently conveyed to him.

_You are not for yourself, but to save a human with whom you have made a promise?_

Colette nodded.

_So that's it, you're the Chosen of Regeneration...take it._

Colette reached out and hesitantly pulled grasped the shining horn. It came off easily, almost as if it had never been attached in the first place. Without the luminescent horn, the unicorn just looked like a plain horse.

That is, until it began to fade from our sight.

"You're disappearing!" I exclaimed in alarm.

_Our horns are our very lives, _the unicorn explained. _My destiny is now fulfilled._

Colette inhaled sharply, her face filled with sorrow. She shook her head rapidly.

"But you'll die!" Sheena protested. Her eyes shone with unshed tears.

_My purpose is to aid those in need of healing. If I were to fail that task, I would not deserve to exist any longer. Therefore, I gladly offer my horn to you. Please, do not be troubled. A new life will be born from me. And when that new life ends, yet another will be born. In doing so, we live on...forever._

Colette's face lifted at this, at the hope that she wasn't completely killing the unicorn, not really. Sheena and I were both relieved as well, yet it was still saddening to see the unicorn fade completely from sight.

With Colette clutching the horn tightly to her chest, the three of us headed back to the shore. Sheena dismissed Undine as we climbed up the bank and I heard a great rush of water as the lake returned to its whole state once more. I flinched at the loud noise.

The air between the three of us was heavy, and the others were quick to notice. Lloyd took one look at our sorrow-filled faces and approached us with a look of concern on his own face.

"Hey, are you guys alright?" he asked worriedly.

I nodded silently. I didn't really know how to explain to him what had just happened. Sure, a new unicorn was going to be born, but that didn't erase the fact that this one had just...disappeared. It sacrificed itself just so it could help us. I couldn't stop thinking about the moment I'd first seen it standing, and I'd been captivated by its purity. And now it was just...gone. I couldn't wrap my head around it, and I couldn't understand just why it was affecting me as much as it was.

"Sheena, are you crying?" Genis asked, his eyes growing wide.

She sniffed and wiped quickly at her face. "The unicorn...gave us its horn," was all she could manage without bursting into tears.

"I see. So the unicorn is dead."

I whipped my head up to stare at Kratos in shock. As did everyone else, except for Raine.

"It's dead?" Lloyd's eyebrows shot up into his hairline.

"_You knew?"_ Sheena exclaimed. She looked furious that he'd withheld this information from us.

Raine nodded. "It's a fact that when a unicorn loses its horn, it dies. By dying, a new unicorn is born. That is why the unicorn is the symbol of death and rebirth."

"So what the unicorn said was true," said Sheena, her voice significantly calmer than it had been before. "A unicorn will be reborn."

"Yes, I'm sure one has already been born," Raine assured her.

If I thought hard enough about that, it made me feel a little bit better.

"So the unicorn gave us this horn at the cost of its life," Lloyd said thoughtfully. He turned to Colette slightly. "We have to make sure we make good use of it."

"Yeah Colette!" Genis chimed in. "Now we might be able to get you back to normal!"

Colette looked uncomfortable. She didn't meet either of the boys' eyes as she shook her head.

"What? Colette, why?" Lloyd protested.

Still keeping her eyes to the ground, Colette grabbed Lloyd's hand and traced her finger in his palm.

"'I...still...haven't...finished...regenerating...the...world'," Lloyd read. "'So...please...use...this...for...Pietro...and...Clara'?" Lloyd looked up from his palm to Colette, his expression troubled. "But Colette-!"

Colette smiled slightly, her eyes reassuring him that she'd be okay.

He stared at her for a long moment before sighing in defeat. "Alright, Colette. If that's what you want."

She nodded happily before approaching Raine and holding out the crystalline horn.

Raine carefully took the horn, her eyes lighting up considerably. I see the beginnings of an intense Ruin Mode showing. She would no doubt spend the entire night pouring over Boltzmann's Book in addition to the Unicorn Horn.

"So beautiful..." she whispered lovingly.

"Looks like Raine's got a new toy," Genis sighed.

"Now all we have to do is heal Pietro," said Lloyd. "Then it's on to the Tower of Salvation..."

As always, this dulled the mood quite a bit. It's a good thing Hima was so far away, because no one was looking forward to reaching that Tower.

"We can't forget about Clara either," I reminded him quietly. "She's still out there somewhere as a monster."

"Where do you suppose we'll find this Clara person?" asked Sheena. All she knew about Clara's situation was what he had briefly explained to her back when we saved her in Luin.

"She could be anywhere," said Kratos. "We have little time to perform a thorough search for her. All we can do is hope we come across her."

"Wait just a little longer Colette," said Raine. She looked directly into her eyes and said, "I promise we'll fulfill your wish."

Colette didn't say anything for a long moment. Finally, she smiled slightly and mouthed, "Thank-you."

Like many interactions between Colette and Raine, this was one that seemed to have more meaning to it than what was on the surface.

I stared at the horizon, its view slightly broken by the trees surrounding the lake. The mana I'd felt the first time we arrived here was gone. It had been drained with the death of the unicorn. It was just a regular lake now.

Through the haze that still clouded my mind, I felt a brief but intense stab of pain. It broke through long enough to cause my breath to fail me before the haze took control and numbed the pain once more. In that brief moment though, I realized that clearly this haze was holding back a hell of a mess of emotions.

And I was pretty scared to see what would happen when those emotions wanted out.

* * *

**Thanks for reading! A review to let me know how it's going would be much appreciated :)**


	22. Revelations, Betrayals, and Old Friends

**Hey! Long time no see, I know. I'm sorry that I suck so bad, but to make up for it, I've made this chapter extra long and extra special. There's lots of action in it, including what I know a lot of you have probably all been waiting for: the Tower of Salvation. So hopefully you enjoy it!**

**Also, I apologize in advance for the Aurelia's foul language. That's all I'm gonna say haha :)**

* * *

We set up camp at the lake that night. Raine, of course, did little to help. The minute she deemed it acceptable, she sat to herself, using her staff to light up the dusty pages of Boltzman's Book. Not that her staff was really needed. She easily could have used the unicorn horn to view the book's pages, as it actually glowed in the darkness, catching the distant glow of the crescent moon and magnifying its light, giving a layer of soft, pearly light to the campsite. The horn really was beautiful.

"You know, she could have helped a little bit," Lloyd said irritably. He dropped a couple more logs of wood into the growing fire and cast a glare towards the professor.

"It could be worse; she could be trying to cook," Genis said under his breath. He was hard at work on tonight's dinner.

Lloyd paused and considered this. "Yeah, that's a very good point. I suppose I should be thankful."

Aside from Genis and Lloyd, no when else spoke. The mood was still pretty solemn from the death of the unicorn. Colette sat next to Genis, and although she couldn't speak, I imagined she would be joining the conversation if she was able. Kratos sat alone, sharpening his sword with a rock. Sheena stared into the fire, speaking quietly with Corrine, who sat on her shoulder. I sat in in the grass, my mind surprisingly blank of any real meaningful thoughts.

Raine finally lifted her head from her book, moving her head to each side to rid her neck of kinks, then stood and approached me. Her expression looked fairly confident, which was reassuring.

"So what do you think?" I asked hopefully as she knelt down beside me. "Is it possible?"

The few seconds she took before answering were agonizingly long.

"...I think so," she said at last, causing me to sigh deeply with relief. "The book says that the horn is capable of healing all toxins, and even though this Olivia woman created the poison herself, I don't see why it wouldn't work."

I nodded. Okay, so she was _pretty_ sure it was going to work. Meaning there was the slightest of chances that it wouldn't. As reassured as I should have been, that small sliver of risk kept me from being completely at ease. In fact, it was the only thing I could seem to focus on.

"Now, hold out your arm," she instructed.

Wincing from the pain it caused me, I slowly raised my arm. She took it into her hands, pushed up the sleeve and examined the bandaging. There were several layers of cloth, and they had only been changed about an hour ago, however blood was already beginning to seep through. No matter how many times Raine had attempted healing the wound, it continued to reopen –even through perfectly healed skin –into a bloody, infected mess of a cut.

She began to carefully peel back the layers of the bandaging. The movement against my arm sent shockwaves of pain up through my arm and into my very being; such was the extent of the pain that this poison was beginning to cause me.

When she finally peeled back the last layer, I couldn't look at my arm. I didn't even want to. I just wanted her to heal it and finally get rid of this pain. I clenched my fist as tightly as my knuckles would allow and whispered, "Please hurry."

She touched the tip of the horn to my arm. The contact, surprisingly, didn't hurt like I'd expected it to. It sent a wave of coolness up my arm. As Raine murmured the words of the healing spell, the horn began to glow a pristine white color. The frosty light spread from the horn and into my veins, illuminating them like a network of muffled lights. With the light came instant relief, an icy rush that cleansed my blood and left me feeling lighter than air.

I jumped to my feet. "Raine, that's a miracle! The pain, it's…it's completely gone!" I swiftly lifted my arm to marvel at it. The bloody, poisonous mass was completely gone, leaving only smooth skin in its place. "I can actually move it!" An involuntary smile crept across my lips.

Raine looked upon my arm and the horn with pride. Her eyes glinted as her ruin mania kicked in again. At this success, new healing and magic possibilities were doubt springing up in her mind. She clutched the horn close to her chest.

The others now noticed what had taken place and approached us.

"Your arm is completely healed!" Lloyd exclaimed in wonder. In his excitement he grabbed hold of it, yanking it upwards to cast firelight on it and get a better view. "There's not even a scratch!"

"I can see that," I said. Irritated, I pulled my arm away.

"Then that thing really works," said Sheena. She'd finally looked away from the fire to see what was happening. "That means we really can save Pietro!" The sadness at the unicorn's death lifted at this renewed hope.

Colette smiled widely.

"Then our plans remain the same," said Kratos. He was the only one who had stayed in place, never ceasing the endless strokes of stone upon steel. "We'll leave for Hima first thing in the morning."

_And then to the Tower of Salvation…_

My spirits were dampened suddenly.

* * *

The trip to Hima was a long and tiring one. It dealt with much sleeping on the ground, or in my case, lying. I could hardly ever bring myself to sleep. Fearing it would bring nightmares filled with angels and poison. The haziness in my mind held back my emotions in the waking hours, but I had no idea what the night would bring. The few times I did sleep, I thankfully didn't dream, but my sleep was still far from restful. The cold, hard ground did little to refresh me. At least there would be beds in Hima.

Needless to say, when we finally reached Hima, I was trudging and covered in dirt and blood from fighting monsters. I probably looked like a zombie.

We headed straight for the inn. Raine didn't want to waste any time in healing Pietro.

"You're back!" Sophia exclaimed. She rushed out from behind the counter where she was doing paperwork and hurried over to us. She seemed very jittery. Nervous. "So…did you succeed?"

Sheena nodded. "Yes, we found it. I apologize about the wait."

Sophia's face brightened. "That's wonderful! Right this way!" She led us up the stairs to Pietro's room.

He sat in a chair by the window, gazing lifelessly outside. He didn't even look up as we approached.

Raine gently touched his shoulder. He looked up, his eyes completely blank.

"Please heal him," Sophia pleaded.

Raine retrieved the horn from within her bag. She pressed it against his forehead (he surprisingly let her do it with little reaction at all), and began murmuring incantations, much like when she had healed my arm. The horn glowed with its soft, white light and spread across his whole body. As the light spread, I could see his body gradually start to shift and relax. He sat in a more natural position, and as the glow faded, he blinked rapidly, as though awaking from a long sleep. He glanced around the room in confusion.

"Where…where am I?"

"He woke up!" Sophia cried. She looked close to tears with relief. "Thank goodness!"

Pietro squinted up at her. He sat up straighter as he recognized who she was. "Sophia! Then…I reached Hima?" He looked around the room in disbelief, no doubt wondering just how he managed to get here.

"Yes! Sheena saved you and brought you here!"

Pietro perked up slightly. "Yes, I'm starting to remember! After leaving Luin, I was attacked by Desians. Then Sheena…" He looked up at her, real emotion showing on his face for the first time since I'd seen him. He was no longer a ghost of a man. He was alive again.

Sheena blushed at having all the gratitude bestowed on her. "Ah, don't mention it. And besides, the reason you regained consciousness was because of Raine here. If you're going to thank someone, thank her."

He shifted his gaze to Raine. "Ah, I see. Well in that case, thank you! Now I can await the Chosen."

"The Chosen? What do you mean?" Sophia questioned.

I was reminded of our first encounter with him. He'd been droning on about the Chosen. It had given me the creeps then, but maybe he could tell us useful information now.

"The reason I broke out of the ranch was because I found out something that I need to tell the Chosen," he explained.

Genis exchanged a glance with Colette. She nodded, signalling her permission.

"Well if you're looking for the Chosen, she's right here," he said, pushing Colette forward a bit.

Sophia inhaled sharply. "What? _You're_ the Chosen?" A mix of shock and guilt could be seen on her face.

"That's great!" said Pietro, looking relieved his escape wouldn't be in vain. "So here it is. The Desians are trying to revive something called the 'Angelus Project'. Apparently it's going to help them in their development of this weapon called the Mana Cannon."

Kratos, who had been, for the most part, uninvolved with the conversation, perked up at this. His face was even more serious than usual. "Mana Cannon? Could that be anything like Thor's Hammer from the Ancient War?"

"I don't know all the details," Pietro continued, "unfortunately. All I know is that this weapon no doubt has potential to be really dangerous, and they're using Exspheres to try and complete it. They need to be stopped!"

"You don't need to worry about that!" Genis assured him. "The ranch is history. We defeated Kvar and rescued all the captives!"

"But the Desians aren't completely stopped," said Raine. She looked really worried about the news of this Mana Cannon.

I can't say I blamed her. All of the news Pietro had told us definitely wasn't a good thing. It worried me. What were the Desians planning?

"Raine's right," I said at last. "There are still two ranches in operation. Whatever this Mana Cannon is, I highly doubt it ends with Kvar."

"This is true, but we won't get anywhere pondering it here. Right now, we must refocus on our main goal." This, of course, had come from Kratos, who seemed in calm desire of changing the subject. "The Tower of Salvation awaits us."

The tone of the room grew heavy. With finding the unicorn horn, there had been something between us and our ultimate destination. Now it seemed so close.

Raine was the first to break the heavy silence that followed. "I remember there being a good view of the Tower of Salvation behind the village. Why don't we all go have a good look at the tower and think about what we're going to do?"

Everyone agreed to this. With both Pietro and Sophia thanking us again, we headed up and behind the village to a summit that offered a perfect view of the tower.

We all stood in a line, each one of us staring into the distance at the seemingly never-ending structure.

"You know," Lloyd spoke up, "looking at it like this, it feels really close."

"But it's still really far away," Genis sighed. "And it doesn't look like there's a path leading to it."

I knew what Lloyd meant though. Throughout the whole journey, the ending seemed impossibly far. We faced so many dangers, went through so many struggles, and now…now here we were. Aside from the distance, nothing stood between us and world regeneration. The moment we'd both worked for and had been dreading was finally here, and I didn't know what to do with myself. I don't think anyone did.

"Am I hearing correctly? Are you all wanting to visit the Tower of Salvation?"

We all turned at the voice. A man stood watching us, an eager expression on his round face.

Lloyd nodded. "Yeah. It's…pretty important." He glanced at Colette for approval, which she silently gave. "We need to get there for the world regeneration."

The man's eyes grew large. "You mean you are the Chosen's group? In that case, I would be happy to help. You see, I've just started a dragon tour business, so I would be honoured if you used my dragons to reach the tower."

Raine placed a hand on her chin in thought. "Well, that certainly would solve our problem of getting there."

"Perfect!" The man clapped his hands together eagerly. "In that case, I'll have three of my finest dragons prepared for you by tomorrow morning. Is that alright with all of you?"

There was a slight hesitation. Colette nodded.

"Alright! And don't worry about the cost, it's the least I can do!" He skipped off down the trail, whistling as he went.

The man left a silence in his wake. No one spoke for what seemed like a really long time.

"Well that settles it, I guess," Lloyd finally said. "The journey will come to an end tomorrow."

"That leaves us with this night to rest and prepare," said Raine. "We'll split up for now, but no one go outside the village."

Everyone agreed to this and somewhat reluctantly left the summit, one by one. I wasn't quite sure what to do with myself. I wandered around the village, but soon found myself out of space to wander, seeing as Hima was quite small. When this happened, I ended up heading back to the inn to sit in the sparse grass in front of it.

My mind was racing. Tomorrow, we would be heading to the Tower of Salvation. Tomorrow would be the last time we'd see Colette as a human.

…But then what? As many times as I'd asked myself this question before, I couldn't help but worry myself over it again – what did becoming an angel truly mean? What was going to happen to Colette? I know everyone else had their doubts as well, but where I had all this information that they didn't, I couldn't help but feel that mine were more solid. Every inch of my being was telling me that going to the Tower of Salvation tomorrow was a _bad_ idea.

"You look worried."

I looked up. Sheena stood over me, and I couldn't help but notice that, looking at her expression, it was almost like I was looking in a mirror.

"I could say the same thing to you," I replied. I scooted over on my little patch of grass. "Care to sit?"

She hesitated before accepting and sitting down beside me. She waited a moment before saying, "So you have your doubts."

I carefully considered how much I should tell Sheena. Despite everything she'd done to help us, she was still technically our enemy. Not only that, but I wasn't even sure how much I was physically able to tell her, due to those stupid coughing fits of mine.

"I do," I said at last. "This whole world regeneration thing, I…I feel like we don't know enough about it…or something. I don't know. Maybe I just sound stupid."

"I know what you mean." She stared up at the sky. The sun was beginning to set. "Everything that's happening to Colette…no one knew it was going to happen. No one predicted she'd lose all of her human qualities. I just wonder what else is going to happen that we didn't plan on."

A thought occurred to me. I looked over at her. "Sheena, what about your world? What about Tethe'alla?"

She winced ever so slightly. "Right. Tethe'alla…Well, if Colette regenerates this world, then Tethe'alla will start to decline. The Desians will probably appear in my world as well."

I felt my fist close on the grass beneath me. "Then why are you still trying to help us? If you know what's going to happen-"

"I believe in Colette," Sheena interrupted. "As weird as it is for me to say, I believe in the Chosen." She looked over at me, a sad smile on her face. "You know, when I set out for this mission, I thought it was going to be easy to kill Colette. I didn't expect her to be so…kind."

"Why not?" I asked, confused.

She laughed. "You wouldn't be so confused if you met the Chosen from my world. He's a total jackass."

I laughed at that. "Wow, really? Then I guess that's understandable. But, if he's the Chosen, then how could he be a bad person? The Chosen is supposed to want to help people, save the world – I mean, look at Colette."

"He can be a good person when he wants to be," she sighed. "It's just…I really don't think you understand how different our worlds are."

_Oh trust me, I know._

"Colette was raised in a little farming town, right? Well the Chosen of Tethe'alla is practically royalty back home. He's waited on hand and foot, it's actually kind of disgusting." She shook her head just picturing it. "I wouldn't go pegging Colette as an average Chosen, Aurelia. She's pretty special."

_Yeah…Colette is pretty special._

I didn't say anything for a while. My fear for Colette's safety was reaching its peak right about now. "I guess all we can do is hope for the best," I said weakly.

"I guess, yeah."

Sheena left not too long after that, but I found myself staying in the same spot. I couldn't seem to gather up the energy to lift myself up off the ground. By the time the sun was completely gone from the sky, I was still sitting there.

I only finally returned inside the inn when Sophie called everyone in for supper. Seeing as we were basically the only people staying at the inn at the moment, she offered to cook for us. She figured it was the least she could do after we helped Pietro.

The seven of us ate in silence. I imagined that if Colette was able to speak, she'd be doing her best to keep up a happy conversation. She didn't look thrilled that she wasn't able to do so. But, because she wasn't, the meal passed in silence and we soon all headed off to get ready for bed, which meant taking turns bathing.

The room arrangements were the same as usual, with me sharing a room with Colette, not that she needed the sleep. I took a long bath, opting to go last just so I could indeed have the privilege of taking a long bath. Despite having much bigger things to worry about at the moment, the joy I felt at finally being clean was enough to make me forget about it, if only for a second.

Colette sat looking out the window when I returned to the room. It was a bit late, but then again, she wasn't going to sleep anyway. She smiled at me as I entered.

"Hey Colette," I said before flopping down on the bed. The feeling of my tired and sore body sinking into the mattress was like heaven. "Oh wow. I never thought I'd appreciate a bed so much in my life."

Colette laughed silently at this.

I stared sadly at her through a curtain of damp hair. She couldn't even laugh. Even that one simple joy had been stolen from her. All she had left was her smile.

_Which will probably be stolen from her eventually too, _I thought bitterly.

I felt something lightly bounce off the side of my head. Puzzled, I looked down to see a crumpled piece of paper on the bed beside me. I picked it up and smoothed it out. Written on it were the words, "_Don't be sad_."

I looked up at Colette. A troubled frown had formed on her face.

I laughed humourlessly. "I'm sorry, Colette. I'm trying. I'm just…worried."

She grabbed the pad of paper she'd no doubt used moments before and scribbled something down. She lifted the pad for me to see.

_But why are you worried? The world is going to be saved tomorrow. That's exciting!_

I shook my head as I read it. "Colette, please. You know it's not that simple. No matter what happens tomorrow, something bad is going to come out of it, whether it's something else being stolen from you, or Sheena's world being destroyed."

Her frown deepened. I could see the sadness in her eyes. The fear. She obviously knew all of that was true. But of course, she would never admit it. She wrote something else down and showed it to me.

_I'm going to see if Remiel has a way to keep both worlds safe. And as for me, you don't have to worry!_

I raised a doubtful eyebrow in response.

_Really, you don't! I'm going to become an angel. If I do that, then everyone I love will be safe! As long as that happens, then I'm happy. Really._

I felt helpless tears begin to form in my eyes. "But Colette," I whispered brokenly. Pleadingly. "I don't trust Remiel." I coughed a bit as I said his name.

I couldn't quite place the emotion I saw in her at that moment. It was a mix of sadness, fear, bravery and understanding all held together with her signature smile. She wrote one final thing on her pad of paper.

_You don't have to, Aurelia. Just trust me._

At that moment, I knew there was no changing her mind. Whether she trusted Remiel or not – she was going through with this. Nothing was going to stop her from saving the world she loved.

I nodded. My voice was hoarse when I spoke. "Alright. Good night Colette."

She nodded. "_Good night,"_ she mouthed.

I got under the covers and closed my eyes, squeezing them tightly shut to trap any tears from falling out.

_Colette, _I said silently. _You're the bravest person I know._

* * *

The next morning came much too quickly.

I say that, and yet, everyone was up early. Voluntarily, at that. It had to have been the nerves, because I know that's what caused me to lay awake in bed for two hours before finally deciding to get up. Despite getting little sleep, I was wide awake.

Much like dinner the night before, no one spoke over breakfast. In fact, not much food was actually consumed that morning. Lloyd and Kratos both seemed particularly fazed, for whatever reason.

After the meal was finished, we said our goodbyes to Sophia and Pietro and then headed up the mountain. The man we'd spoken with the day before was just finishing some last-minute preparations, leaving us a moment to wait.

"It's finally time," said Lloyd, exhaling heavily. He stared off into the distance at the tower, his expression grim.

"This is what we've worked for this whole time," Raine agreed. Her eyes…I couldn't be sure, but she almost looked…scared. She looked at Colette. "Colette…you're positive about going through with this?"

She smiled and nodded.

The man approached us. "Alright then! The dragons are over there, all saddled and ready to ride. Now then, decide who's going to be riding with whom. After that, they're all yours! I provided a bigger one too, seeing as you have an uneven number and three are going to have to ride on one." He bowed his head. "Good luck, Chosen One!" With that, he left.

"I will ride on the same dragon as the Chosen," said Kratos. "Protecting her is what I was hired to do, after all."

I could see that Lloyd looked a bit uncomfortable with this decision, but then again, it's not like he had any skill in riding a dragon. Kratos probably did.

"Genis will ride with me," said Raine.

"Then that leaves me, Sheena and Aurelia," Lloyd finished. "Well that might be a bit of a tight squeeze…"

"Aurelia can ride with us," said Kratos. "Her and Colette are both small. The three of us can easily fit on the larger dragon. I am probably the only one capable of handling a dragon of such size anyway."

Sheena looked annoyed. "Oh, so I suppose you think you're the only one who knows how to ride a dragon?"

He glanced at her. "Unless you would like to try?"

She shot a look at the beast. She gulped. "On second thought, it _is _pretty big. You can have it."

With that, we all climbed aboard our dragons. Ours was indeed the largest, with crimson scales and a menacing face. I felt nervous going near it, but I wasn't about to be the only one too scared to ride a dragon, so I sucked it up and climbed on, sitting behind Colette on the saddle.

"Well, this is it!" Lloyd looked over at Colette from his place behind Sheena on their dragon, a medium-sized green one. "Colette, we'll see you at the tower."

She nodded, and with that, Kratos took hold of the reins and flicked his wrists, snapping the reins against the dragon's neck. The beast unfolded its wings, causing me to let out a sound of fear. It beat them against the air only a few times before we were airborne and heading towards the Tower of Salvation, the others close behind us.

From up here, I could see around Sylvarant for quite some distance. I could make out the golden sands of the desert in the far distance, and couldn't help but remember when I'd first awoken there.

…Wow, how long had it been since then? The time had gone by fast, with all of the travelling we'd done, but when I thought about it, I realized it _had_ been several months ago. And now, here we were. I'd learned so much since then, and I still couldn't decide whether that was a good or bad thing.

I cast a glance behind us to see how the others were doing. To my surprise, they were rather far behind us.

"Uh, Kratos!" I shouted over the roar of the wind and the heavy pounding of the dragon's wings. "You may want to slow down a little; the others are kind of far behind!"

Kratos glanced over his shoulder. His eyes narrowed, and I couldn't tell if he was looking at me, or at the others. Either way, he ignored my request and flicked the reins, causing the dragon's wings to start beating even faster, and consequently, for us to speed up.

I felt a small tinge of panic in my gut, for reasons I couldn't understand. "Kratos?" I called again. This time he ignored me completely. Colette looked over her shoulder at me, a worried look on her face.

_What is he doing…? _I thought, my mind racing. I could feel inexplicable panic building inside of me. Every doubt I'd ever had about Kratos came rushing back suddenly.

Needless to say, we reached the tower _much_ sooner than the others did. The dragon had barely touched down on the ground and Kratos was off the dragon, taking Colette with him. His hand closed around her wrist as he pulled her towards the steps to the entrance of the impossibly tall, white structure. I glanced back. I could barely even see the other dragons at this point.

"Kratos, wait a minute!" I yelled. I jumped off of the dragon and raced after them. "What are you doing?"

He continued to ignore me. "Chosen One, open the door."

Colette hesitated and glanced back at me. She looked unsure.

"Colette, _don't!"_ I began to start forward when something unbelievable happened. Kratos drew his sword and held it towards me, the tip barely touching the skin of my neck.

I froze, my eyes wide as my mind raced to take in what was happening right now. "K-Kratos…what are you-?"

"Chosen One," he repeated, his eyes never leaving mine. "The oracle stone. You know what to do."

She still didn't move, instead she stared at me, her eyes apologetic. She placed a hand on Kratos' sword arm, as though trying to reason with him somehow. I was somehow reminded of the dream I'd had, where the Chosens were trying to drown me and Kratos refused to let Colette help me. My stomach twisted violently.

"The others will be here soon," he said calmly.

That was all he had to say. Colette squeezed her eyes shut and turned away from me, placing her hand on the oracle stone. A door appeared in the once flawless white surface of the tower and slid away to reveal a staircase.

"Go."

She didn't look back at me. She turned and ran into the tower.

"Kratos, what the _hell_ are you doing?" I demanded angrily. "Colette needs us to be there to-!"

"The Chosen doesn't need you there for anything," he replied coolly. "If anything, you'll just weaken her resolve even more. You know as well as I do that you don't want her to go through with this."

My jaw locked. I felt it safe to say that our little "truce" was completely eradicated at this point. My trust in him was gone. "You…who are you really?"

His face remained expressionless. "I don't know what you mean."

"_Yes you do!"_ I spat at him.

He raised an eyebrow, the only indication he was at least a little surprised by my anger.

"You're the one who used that attack on the boat," I spilled. "I _know_ it was you, so don't try to deny it! Besides that, you know about…about where I'm really from."

This was a guess, of course, but I was so sure that he really did know that I was willing to take the risk. He didn't say anything in response, but his expression gave it away.

"_You do."_ My voice was close to a hiss, with all of the rage it held. "You know, and you've been hiding it all this time!" Something flashed through my mind. A jagged shard of some distant memory that was gone before I could quite grasp it. I cried out in pain, clutching my head. I glared up at him.

"You can hate me as much as you'd like," he said. "All you'll succeed in is wearing yourself out. Nothing you do is going to stop Colette from becoming an angel." His face shifted into a different expression, still unreadable but with some kind of emotion behind it. "It's what Lord Yggdrasill wants. You wouldn't disappoint him, would you?"

I felt my entire body stiffen in shock. My brain and heart both temporarily stopped working as I attempted to process what he'd just said. It wasn't right. No one in the group was supposed to know about Lord Yggdrasill. No one but Colette was supposed to know I was a Desian. But Kratos, he…

No. I needed to snap out of it. Of course Kratos knew. I'd had a suspicion all along that he'd known, so why was I surprised now, when I found it to actually be true? I wiped away my shock as much as I could and allowed myself to replace it with my current rage. I didn't know why, or exactly what was going on, but one thing was clear – Kratos was not the person he'd led us to believe.

"Lord Yggdrasill…" In one, swift motion I grabbed my spear from my belt and extended it. I jumped back, away from Kratos' sword, and twirled my weapon in the air. "I don't _care_ what he wants right now!"

Kratos sighed. "Why are you so angry? Colette is going to become an angel, and regenerate the world. You knew it was going to happen. The only difference here is that none of you are going to be there to talk her out of it."

I flinched slightly. As much as I hated to admit it, he had a point. I couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was that was causing such rage, but at the same time, I also couldn't help but feel that Kratos had betrayed us somehow.

Unfortunately, my hesitation cost me. As I was pondering my anger, Kratos lunged forward, sword raised high in the air. I brought my spear up last minute and felt my body tremble from the impact his sword made on the shaft of my spear. I attempted to push him away but it was like pushing against a wall; he was unbelievably strong.

After much struggling on my end, he lifted his sword, causing me to fall forward as I continued to push. He brought his leg back and kicked me _hard_ in the stomach. I instantly collapsed from the pain it caused me, fighting back the urge to vomit. I tried to reach my spear, but he kicked it away from me.

Satisfied I wasn't going to be getting up anytime soon, he sheathed his sword and headed for the tower. I tried with every fibre of my being to force myself to my feet, but every movement made me feel nauseous. When I finally succeeded in standing, however shaky my stance was, he stood just within the doorway. He exchanged a long look with me and I found myself wishing more than ever that I could read his mind. The look ended as he turned to walk away.

"_No!" _I croaked. But I was too late. The doorway sealed shut, leaving no indication that it had even existed in the first place. I crumpled to the ground.

Not long after that I heard the sound of dragons approaching. I managed to get myself into a kneeling position as the others finally reached the tower and hurried over to me.

"What the _hell_ happened to you?" Lloyd exclaimed. He threw wild glances around the area. "Where did Colette and Kratos go?"

"Into the Tower," I said, my voice little more than a gasp. "Kratos, he…" I shook my head, trying my hardest to find air. "We need to stop him!"

Genis paused, his eyebrows shooting up as he realized what I was saying. "Wait a second! _Kratos_ did this to you?"

I nodded, unable to say anything else.

"_Dammit!"_ Lloyd shouted. "What is he thinking?"

Raine's face was grave. "This isn't good. We need to get into that tower." She handed me several apple gels, which I immediately gulped down.

"But we can't!" Sheena exclaimed. She stared up at the seemingly never-ending pillar. "Kratos must have sealed the door somehow, and no one can operate the oracle stones but the Chosen!"

Something clicked in my brain, an incident that I hadn't thought about it a while. It wasn't something I'd ever planned on sharing with the others but right now…it didn't really seem like I had a choice.

"Um, that might not be completely true," I spoke up quietly, my breathing still a bit laboured despite the apple gels.

Everyone turned to stare at me, an equal amount of confusion on each person's face.

I realized there was no time to be hesitant right now. I hurried through what I had to say.

"At Thoda Geyser, I was the one to operate the oracle stone," I said quickly. "I'm not sure how it happened, especially because I was asleep, but the point is, it did, and it might work on this one too. Don't ask me to explain it because I can't, the point is, I need to be put to sleep." I breathed heavily, awaiting a reaction.

Everyone seemed too shocked to say anything. Raine was the only one who kept her composure.

"Right," she said. "Well, despite how shocking this news is, we don't have the time to sit in awe about it, so let's get down to business. I have a spell that will put you to sleep, will that do?"

I nodded. "Yes, just hurry!"

We didn't waste any time. I lay down on the ground close to the oracle stone. Raine knelt next to me, murmuring incantations. The more I listened to her, the sleepier I began to get. Sleeping in a situation like this felt extremely odd, but even so I managed to doze off into a heavy sleep.

My dream world didn't bring me to a meadow like before, but a dark room instead. The only thing I was able to see was the oracle stone, sitting a little ways ahead of me with a beam of light shining on it. I wasted no time in hurrying over to it, my footsteps a bit clumsy in the darkness. I felt the same fierce urge to place my hand on it as before, only this time I embraced the urge right away. I slammed my hand down onto the stone and instantly felt mana pour from my hand.

It must have worked, because I was immediately awoken from my sleep by Lloyd frantically shaking my arm. I blinked up at the tower to see the door had appeared.

I didn't waste time gawking at it, or wondering how the hell I was able to open these seals. I instead hurried inside with the rest of the group.

The minute I stepped foot inside the tower, it was like entering a completely different world. The mana level compared to outside almost seemed to skyrocket, almost to a point where it was a little too much to handle. I could tell Genis and Raine noticed too, as Genis scratched at his ears and Raine looked uncomfortable. The steps beneath us were made of green light, and were suspended in midair. There was nothing else to distinguish floor, walls or ceiling. Just an endless abyss of swirling blue and green. Strange pod-like objects spiralled up through the whole tower. There were…so many. What could they be?

I felt my stomach twist in sickening realization. Oh no.

"What are those things?" Lloyd wondered aloud, staring as they floated up throughout the tower. As one passed particularly close by, he examined it before stumbling back. "That's a…a body…" His face paled in horror.

A similar sickened expression passed across Raine's face. "Then these are all coffins…"

Lloyd shook his head as if he could erase the memory of the body from his mind. "Why are there so many dead bodies here?"

"They may be…all the Chosen that failed the world regeneration up until now," Raine concluded.

I tried my best to contain my horror. "But…but there's so many…" I gaped.

"Well, only six Chosens have succeeded up until now, so it's reasonable."

"So if Colette fails…" Lloyd's voice trailed off, not needing to finish the obvious statement. "Dammit! We have to hurry!"

We continued up the steps until we reached the portal at its end. The dizzying, light-filled sensation that accompanied a portal lasted much longer, no doubt because of how far we were probably travelling. When the sensation cleared, we'd made it. The final seal room. The altar looked much the same as any other, however a huge tree root circled the platform we were on, stretching up into the remainder of the tower. It was also more…grand. More intricately designed.

Colette knelt at the altar, her hands clasped in prayer. She acted as though she hadn't noticed our arrival, although I knew for a fact that she had. There was no way she hadn't with that angel hearing of hers. However, she completely ignored us and continued her silent prayer. Kratos was nowhere to be seen.

A heavenly light shone from above from an unknown source. The golden, glowing orb of light I'd become so familiar with floated down, and in a brilliant flash, Remiel appeared. He descended from the air, his feet almost touching the ground in front of Colette. It was the first time I'd seen him actually bring himself down to our level, instead of hovering up there like some kind of goddam deity. A victorious smile was threatening to burst across his face.

"Remiel." The word was almost like a growl out of my throat. With him close to the ground like that, it felt so easy to pull out my spear and slice him to pieces.

I forced myself to calm down.

"Now, my daughter," he said triumphantly. "Release the final seal! In doing so, you will complete the final sacrifice of your human existence – your heart and your memory. By doing so of your own free will, you will become a true angel!"

Shock erupted from the entire group.

"_What?"_ Sheena exclaimed.

"'Sacrifice her heart and memory'?" Lloyd repeated the words to himself as if they hadn't quite sunk in.

Genis looked outraged. "Colette's going to _forget_ about us?"

I shook my head rapidly. "No! That can't be right! You can't just…you can't just _do _that!"

Raine's voice was quiet and surprisingly void of emotion when she spoke. "Colette's human life will now end, and she will be reborn as an angel."

I stared at her, my mouth hanging open as I tried to comprehend what she had just said. Her human life…would end? Did that mean…?

Lloyd seemed to voice my thoughts. "Professor Sage, what is he talking about?"

"Lloyd…I'm sorry." She buried her face in her hands as her emotions broke through. Guilt and sadness laced every word. "I promised Colette I wouldn't say anything." She lifted her head to stare at Colette heartbrokenly, who, this whole time, had remained praying. "Colette will give up her life in order to regenerate the world. Becoming an angel means dying."

"That's not quite correct," said Remiel, his tone as though he were correcting a student. "The Chosen's heart will die, and her body will be offered to the Goddess Martel. By removing her body, Colette will revive the Goddess." His voice rose with excitement as he spoke. "This is the true nature of the world regeneration! The revival of the Goddess Martel…is the revival of the world itself!"

I shook my head. I found myself shaken to my very core. This couldn't be true. This couldn't be what this journey was really about. Colette was…she was being _forced_ to sacrifice herself! Simply because she was the Chosen, she had to give up her life just so everyone else could live in peace! _Everything_ we worked for, all of it was just to throw Colette's life away.

And Raine _knew_ this whole time. She _knew_ and she didn't tell any of us! How was this right? How was Lord Yggdrasill actually promoting this practice?

Clearly, Lloyd shared my outraged thoughts. "That's…that's-!"

"Lord Remiel," Raine interrupted, "we have heard that a world known as Tethe'alla lies parallel to Sylvarant."

Remiel's eyes narrowed. "That is not for you to know," he said sharply.

"You kept it a secret because it is true, correct?" She gazed at him inquisitively.

"…From whom did you learn of it?"

"Can't Cruxis make _both_ worlds peaceful?" Sheena asked desperately.

He paused for a split second before saying, "If that is what the Chosen desires, she can lend her power to Cruxis by becoming an angel. Once the Goddess Martel is revived by the Chosen, the two worlds will surely achieve peace, just as the Chosen wishes."

Colette finally snapped out of her prayer to look up at him quickly with a hopeful gasp.

"'Is that true', you ask? You know why you have come here."

Colette slowly rose to her feet, as though that had settled things for her.

"You can't!" Sheena called out in protest. The very same girl who came to our world as an assassin, with every intention to kill Colette was now looking at the Chosen with unbelievable grief at the thought of her death. Tears filled her eyes and her voice broke as she said, "Are you really planning to die?"

Colette turned to face us. She wore the exact same expression I'd seen the night before: sadness, fear, and bravery, with a touch of acceptance as though she knew this was what she had to do and she planned on going through with it.

"Colette, stop!" Lloyd pleaded. His voice was filled with desperation. "If you sacrifice yourself, your friends who love you…and your family…and…and me! We'll all be sad! It'll be the same as sacrificing all of us!"

Pain traced every feature on Colette's face as she tried her hardest to speak, despite knowing it was impossible.

Lloyd started forward, fully intent on running to Colette, when Genis threw his arms around Lloyd's waist in an attempt to restrain him.

"_Genis! Let me go!"_ Lloyd yelled. "_We have to help her!"_

"I don't want anything to happen to her either!" said Genis, his voice strained from trying to hold Lloyd back. "But what else are we supposed to do? The people of Sylvarant are suffering too, Lloyd! We have to think about them too!"

Lloyd continued to try and escape. "But-!"

"The sacrifice of one single person, the Chosen, will save the world," Remiel informed him patiently. "Are you saying that you would choose the Chosen's soul over the entire world?"

Lloyd ceased struggling as he considered this. "I...well I-"

Remiel looked just short of smug. "Exactly. Now, Colette. Come join your father."

Without even so much as a glance back at us, Colette turned and walked to Remiel. Her Cruxis Crystal began to shine brightly as a giant spell circle appeared beneath her feet.

As though a light had gone off in his head, Lloyd broke away from Genis and ran forward. "Wait, Remiel! Is there really no other way?" The desperation in his voice had peaked. This was his last resort at reasoning with the angel. "Colette's your daughter! Surely you don't want her to die either?"

Remiel let out a dark chuckle. "My daughter? Don't make me laugh."

My breath caught in my throat. What? Was he really admitting to lying this whole time?

Lloyd's face grew pale. He stared at the angel in shock. "W-What?"

Remiel continued, "When I came down to play the role of guardian angel, you inferior beings just started calling me her father on your own."

"_What?"_ Lloyd said again, this time angrier.

"I merely placed the Cruxis Crystal upon this sacrifice, who was selected to become Martel's vessel. You shouldn't act so surprised. It's not like it is news to all of you." His cold gaze rested upon me, drawing everyone's attention to me.

My face paled. _No. Noooo no no this can't be happening right now. It can't._

"So Aurelia knew all along," said Raine, her face filled with understanding. "And she was trying to tell us this whole time."

I nodded meekly. "I'm sorry. I tried so hard to tell you all, but…"

"That doesn't matter, anyway!" Sheena exclaimed angrily. "You've been lying this whole time!"

"_Colette!"_ Lloyd shouted. He ran forward the rest of the way and seized Colette's shoulders, whirling her body around so that she faced him.

The face that she'd been hiding from us, it held the most sorrowful smile I'd ever seen.

_Lloyd…it's okay. I realized what was going on._

It took a moment for me to register, but I soon realized that the light voice echoing in the air around us belonged to Colette.

_Every time I met Remiel, I felt…that he was not my real father. _Her smile faded slightly, her sadness growing. _But still, for some reason, I still feel like I want to cry._

Lloyd shook his head angrily, his hands clenching visibly on Colette's shoulders. "Colette! If you realized what was going on, then why-?"

_You can hear my voice? _Colette interrupted in surprise. She grabbed Lloyd's hands and held them in front of her, a smile blooming across her face. "I'm so happy! I'll be able to say goodbye to you in the end."

"Colette…" Lloyd squeezed his eyes shut as tears began rolling down his cheeks. "I'm sorry! I couldn't save you…I'm so sorry! I _promised_ I wouldn't make another mistake, but…it looks like I did again." His voice was broken from crying.

She shook her head. _No. Thank you, Lloyd. Because of you, I was able to find the courage to protec__t the world. Because of you, I was able to live these sixteen years to the fullest. So please…_

She trailed off as her body began to lift into the air, away from Lloyd's grasp.

"_Colette!"_ he screamed. He scrambled to keep hold of her hands, but they were slipping out of his reach.

_It looks like…it's time, _she sadly said. _Goodbye…_

"_Colette!"_

Once Colette stopped lifting, she released her wings, throwing her head back and her arms out. Lloyd stared up at her helplessly, his knees looking like they could give way at any moment.

Then, Colette's body went slack, as if all tension had been released from it. She just hovered there staring at us blankly with eyes that were now a dull, lifeless red. Eyes that didn't really see at all. Her face was void of any expression. I felt ready to cry.

"Colette…?" Lloyd whispered.

She didn't respond.

Remiel let out a wicked, triumphant laugh. "I've done it! It's finally complete! Martel's vessel is _finally_ complete! With this, I shall become one of the Four Seraphim!" He stared greedily at Colette's now lifeless form.

"What are you talking about?" I snapped, my hand flying to my belt to ready my spear at any time. Talking about the Four Seraphim…it sparked emotions I couldn't place.

"Wait just a minute! What are you going to do with Colette?" Sheena demanded. She was one step ahead of me, with a handful of cards out and Corrine growling at her feet.

"He's…he's going to take her to heaven," Raine said. She sounded unconvinced, however. "Or at least, that is what's _supposed_ to happen. Something tells me he has other plans."

"_You bastard!"_ Lloyd roared at him. "It's all just a big _lie _isn't it? Cruxis, the angels, the Goddess Martel – you'll _pay _for this! _Let her go now!"_ He unsheathed his swords in a fury.

"That, I cannot do," Remiel said fiercely, "for she is Martel's vessel. This is Martel's new body which took _years_ to complete!"

"_No…_" I breathed, suddenly feeling very faint. Even though I'd basically known this all along, to hear Remiel admit it like this…to see Colette floating there without a trace of her smile…it was almost too much.

"I have no use for _any_ of you!" Remiel continued to rage. "_Be gone!" _Light enveloped his body before shooting out in all directions, assaulting each of us. In my daze, I wasn't able to defend myself in time like the others and was knocked backwards, the light searing my skin like fire. I quickly jumped to my feet and unleashed my spear, ready to do some serious damage to this bastard.

Lloyd was already slashing away at Remiel, who didn't even seem fazed by it. As Lloyd raised his right hand to finish an attack combo, Remiel grabbed Lloyd's wrist and sent a blast of light through his arm, causing him to fly back. As soon as Lloyd was out of the way, he materialized a bow and let three arrows made of light fly in different directions, mainly at Raine and Genis, who were busy casting.

"This is it," I sighed. I rushed forward, stabbing the ground with my spear and using it to launch myself into the air. "_Predator!"_

Remiel staggered a bit from the attack, but not enough to do any real damage. He immediately cast his attention on me. "You…you worthless little traitor! _Photon!_"

The orb of light exploded around me. I bit down on my lip, breaking the skin and causing blood to pour out. I didn't care though. I wasn't about to let Remiel knock me back.

"Oh, _I'm _a traitor?" I shouted. At the moment, my hatred and anger towards him was so great that I didn't really care who heard me anymore. "What a fucking _hypocrite!" _I drove my spear into his shoulder, using mana from my hand to coat the entire blade with ice. "_Shatter!"_

The ice exploded in a mess of bloody shards, causing Remiel to yell and push me back with a blast of light mana. Sheena ran in as soon as I was gone and sent cards flying at him from every direction.

"_Enough of this!" _he roared. "_Judgement Ray!"_

Pillars of light came crashing down, and the instant I saw them my body went rigid with shock. I couldn't believe it. It was the very same attack that Kratos had used on the boat ride.

However, this attack wasn't nearly as powerful as the other one. It couldn't have been, because where the other attack vaporized every fish monster, this one only succeeded in causing some noticeable damage. Nothing that Raine couldn't fix with a group healing spell. I managed to avoid the attack altogether.

While Lloyd and Sheena were still recovering from the attack, I lunged at Remiel, letting out a Frenzy attack in all my rage.

"Who are you to speak of betrayal?" I demanded as I slashed away at him and he tried his hardest to defend himself. "All of _you_ are _betraying_ the entire _world!"_ My final strike of the attack was enough to knock him down, however he quickly rose into the air, far where I couldn't reach him, and sent light arrows flying at me.

I knocked them away with my spear. "_Reach!"_ The attack knocked him out of the air, near Sheena and Lloyd. While I caught my breath, they came at him from both sides. However, no matter how hard they attacked him, he was still able to keep his concentration to keep a spell circle going beneath his feet.

"_Holy Lance!" _After casting the spell he sent out a wave of light to knock Sheena and Lloyd away from him.

A bolt of light came crashing down, pinning my arm to the ground momentarily before it faded. I hissed in sheer pain, but didn't have time to get over it as several more bolts crashing down around me, each one striking me hard before disappearing. I did, however, manage to roll out of the way as the final, giant bolt struck. It sent off shockwaves that electrocuted my entire body, however. My body twitched and writhed from pain and from the aftershock. It soon faded slightly as Raine cast first aid.

I practically flew to my feet and ran after Remiel, my fury wiping out any control I might have had over attacking. Each swing of my spear hit hard and precise, each one causing him to stumble back. My rage was almost frightening. Much like when I was fighting Desians in Palmacosta, it drove my will to fight, and coated my vision in a red haze.

When he got tired of trying to block me, Remiel sent me flying back with a blast of light, but Lloyd was quick to take my place. His fury just might have matched mine, if possible.

"You're not taking Colette!" he shouted. He punctuated each word with a swing of his sword. "I. Won't. _Let. _You! Hah! Sonic _Thrust!"_

With one final stab, Remiel fell to the ground. His blood pooled around his bruised and battered body.

"Impossible…" Remiel rasped. "How can an angel, the ultimate being, lose to a group of…humans…?" His voice gave out on the last word, even speaking becoming too much for him.

I slumped to the ground. Now that the battle was over, my fury drained from my body, along with all of the energy it had provided me.

With Remiel out of the way, we focused our attention on Colette, who continued to float in the air, completely unaware that any battle had taken place.

"Colette, let's get out of here!" Lloyd called up to her. "I'm going to find a way to return you to your former self, I _promise!"_

She didn't respond. She didn't even look at him. She just continued to stare blankly ahead.

Lloyd's face fell, and I saw something break behind his eyes. Tears rolled down his cheeks. "Colette…have you really forgotten me?"

"You're wasting your time."

_That voice…_

I jumped to my feet and whirled around. Kratos stood behind us, his arms crossed as he took in the scene before him. There was something different about him. Mana almost seemed to radiate off of him. He was powerful. Extremely powerful. I couldn't remember ever experiencing anything like it…

Except for in Lord Yggdrasill.

"Kratos!" Lloyd exclaimed. "There you are! What the hell did you do outside the tower? To Aurelia?"

Kratos ignored Lloyd and continued to speak. "Not only did Colette lose her memory, but she has lost the soul to listen to your words. Now she is merely a puppet standing before death's door." He walked around the group to stand beneath Colette.

"Kratos! Where have you been? What are you saying?"

Again, he went on like Lloyd hadn't spoken. "The Chosen desired the regeneration of the world and chose this path herself. By the summoning of the Chosen to Derris-Kharlan, the seal will be broken and the regeneration will be complete."

_Derris-Kharlan…_

"Kratos what are you _talking_ abou-?"

"It is what you wanted as well. We will take the Chosen as the new body for Martel."

"Kratos _answer me!"_ Lloyd exclaimed in frustration.

"_We"?_ I thought in a daze. _Then that means…Kratos is with…_

Everything suddenly became to clear to me. Like a bolt of lightning, Kratos Aurion was there in my memory, as though he'd never even left.

Remiel stirred at Kratos' feet. "L-Lord Kratos! Have pity on me…please lend me your aid." His voice was weak as he pleaded with Kratos. He struggled to raise a shaking hand towards him.

The rest of the group stared in shock as the dying angel begged for mercy from Kratos, of all people.

Kratos looked upon Remiel coldly. His contempt for him was obvious. "Have you forgotten, Remiel? I was once of the 'inferior race'…a human." The faintest trace of a mock sneer was evident on the word "human". "Does the ultimate being seek help from that which he despises the most?"

Remiel let out a choked sound of pain. He began to cough and blood spilled across his lips. Finally, his body went limp and he collapsed completely.

Whether Lloyd realized completely what was going on or not, one thing was clear: he needed to protect Colette. He dashed forward and threw his arms out, standing between Kratos and Colette.

"Move out of the way," said Kratos.

It was Lloyd's turn to ignore Kratos now. He stared at him, hopelessly confused. "Kratos…who are you?"

Kratos didn't answer right away. I could tell he was contemplating whether he should bother telling us or simply killing us all and taking Colette. He decided with the first, and raised his hand to us, showing off his Exsphere. It was blue coloured now, much like Lloyd's, which somehow showed off the power of it. Power that hadn't been there before. That he'd been hiding from us. His body began to emanate white light and, slowly but surely, a set of angel wings unfolded from his back. They were much bigger than Colette's, and coloured shades of sapphire and azure blue.

"I am of Cruxis," he finally admitted, after all this time, "the organization that guides this world. I am one of the Four Seraphim, sent forth to keep close watch over the Chosen."

Everyone's varying reactions of shock were immediate.

"_Kratos _is an angel?" Genis blurted.

"How is this possible…?" Raine whispered, as though she were grasping for some kind of explanation.

"You…you…" Sheena shook her head, looking completely flustered. "You deceived us!"

Lloyd, meanwhile, just stood there with this stunned look on his face. I remained silent. I wasn't quite sure how I felt about the whole thing. Kratos…that whole time, he knew who I was. Of course he did. And I knew who he was, but for some reason I just…didn't remember. How was that even possible? I'd seen him so many times! In fact, I never got along with him before all this either. It wasn't surprising that we argued so much on the journey. But still…

"'Deceived'?" Kratos repeated, in response to Sheena. "If the Chosen merges with Martel, she will awaken, and the world will be saved." He eyed each of us challengingly. "Is that not what you all wanted?"

"It's not that simple," I protested weakly. I doubt if he even heard me.

Raine looked on the verge of tears, something I'd never seen before. "Once her body is taken by the Goddess Martel…Colette will truly die." Her voice wavered. She stared at her now soulless student. She showed emotions I never thought I'd see from such a levelheaded woman. Guilt. Regret. Heartache.

"No. She will be reborn as Martel," Kratos corrected her without care.

"Dammit!" Lloyd erupted. "You think I'm going to let you take her? Colette is our friend!" He drew his swords. "You _traitor!"_

He rushed at Kratos, fully intent on striking him down. As Lloyd reached him, raising one sword high in the air, Kratos brought up his shield last minute and blocked the attack. In the next breath he took he sent Lloyd flying back with a Lightning Blade attack. Lloyd skidded across the ground, twitching from the shock.

Kratos stared him down as he struggled to his feet. "Do you earnestly believe you can defeat me?"

I winced as Lloyd let out a battle cry and rushed at Kratos again. Unfortunately, the traitor was right. Lloyd wasn't a half elf, so there was no way that he could sense the mana that Kratos radiated. We may have defeated Remiel, but he was just a weakling compared to one of the Seraphim. Lloyd didn't know what he was up against. What we'd seen of Kratos' power was only a fraction of what he was capable of, and that was why Undine hadn't let him battle.

Kratos was easily able to block Lloyd again. And again, and again, and _again._

Seeing Lloyd's struggles, the others soon got into battle formations. Raine readied her healing spells for those who needed them and Genis, shaking with fear at the power he could sense from Kratos, began casting the strongest spells he knew. Sheena rushed to Lloyd's aid, with Corrine close behind her.

Meanwhile, I simply stood there, unsure of what to do. I knew there was no way we could win against Kratos. It would just be fighting a losing battle. But at the same time…I had to try. If we didn't try, he was going to take Colette, and I couldn't let that happen. She'd done way too much for me, and I owed it to her.

I looked up at her. This whole time, she just stayed there. Hovering. Unaware. She didn't even know who I was. Who _any _of us were. And soon, there would be someone completely different inside of her body, and she would be gone. Forever.

I felt my fist clench at my side. No. I wasn't going to let that happen. Even if it killed me, I wasn't going to give up without a fight.

I drew my spear, twirling it in the air as I did, and rushed at Kratos. He had just succeeded in sending Sheena and Lloyd flying back, giving me an opening. I dragged my spear along the ground as I ran. It left a shadowy trail in its wake. As I reached Kratos, I swung my spear towards him. "_Abyss!"_

The trail of shadows ran along the floor towards Kratos and exploded in a blast of black mana. It was enough to cause him to stumble enough so that I could land more hits on him.

"What a nuisance," he muttered. "You Nobelles and your fighting style has always been a pain."

I faltered. "What did you just-?"

"_Grave!"_

I didn't get to finish as slabs of rock shot out of the ground beneath me. I cried out in pain as each one struck me further into the air until they vanished and I slammed to the ground. I couldn't even groan. Even thinking about moving hurt.

"Is that all?"

With enormous difficulty, I raised myself to a sitting position. Every inch of my body screamed in agonizing protest. How could one attack take _so _much out of me?

Looking around, I could see I wasn't the only one. Kratos had easily made quick work of all of us. Raine had was still standing, but leaning against her staff for support. Genis had fallen to his knees, his hands pressed against the ground and breathing heavily. Sheena was on one knee, clutching a broken looking arm and bleeding freely from a gash on her cheek. Lloyd was crouched in front of Kratos. His swords had fallen to the ground, and his breathing was heavy and shaky.

"D-Dammit…" he managed to groan.

Kratos stood above him. He raised his sword, ready to deal the final blow and kill Lloyd.

Lloyd stared up at him, looking helpless. He was weak and injured. Kratos was incredibly strong. He obviously knew what was coming. Genuine fear crossed his face at the thought of that blade slicing through him.

Something flashed across Kratos' face. Some kind of emotion that I couldn't describe. He let out a frustrated sigh and lowered his sword.

Lloyd's eyes widened in confusion. "K-Kratos…wha…wha…" He couldn't finish.

A brilliant light began to shine from above. I had to squint from the brightness. I managed to make out a multi-coloured, shimmering orb floating down from the heavens. It exploded in a burst of blinding light.

"I guess not even _you_ could bring yourself to fight such an opponent."

I froze. That voice…there was no way. It couldn't be. No…no, please no…

The light faded away. An angel hovered before us, his wings more grand and elegant than Colette or Kratos could ever hope to compete with. Each delicate feather seemed to have a multitude of hues, shimmering and ever changing. His aqua, heavily lidded eyes gazed around the room, all of the warmness usually present gone completely and replaced with ice. His veil of golden hair obscured them slightly, but there was no mistaking those eyes.

Kratos bowed. "Lord Yggdrasill."

"It's you…" My hoarse voice was filled with horror, surprise and joy all at the same time. I couldn't express what I felt at seeing him. It was like every emotion in existence suddenly sprung forth inside me, rendering me breathless. Shaking.

He smiled. "Hello, Aurelia."

* * *

**... :)**

**Please review! I sincerely hope that you weren't disappointed! Hehe**

**Get ready for some more drama in the next chapter, for sure! I'll try to upload before 2013. Promise :)**


	23. Unravelled

**Hey guys! I tried my best to get this up as fast as possible! So hopefully you guys enjoy it :)**

**On an awesome note, Tales of the Abyss 3D comes out on Tuesday! I am beyond excited that I'll soon be able to play it wherever I want to :D**

**Anyways, hopefully there's no mistakes in the ending cuz I rushed it a little haha**

* * *

Lloyd looked wildly from me to Lord Yggdrasill. "Huh? You know this guy, Aurelia?"

I squeezed my eyes shut, half-tempted to pinch myself and wake from this nightmare. How was this possible? How was he _here?_ I hadn't prepared myself for this. Not in the slightest. Now my tower of lies was about to come crashing down around me.

"I…I…" That was all I could manage.

"Who is he?" Genis pressed. He tried to suppress the awe he no doubt felt at seeing such a powerful being.

Lord Yggdrasill looked down at Lloyd, who remained kneeling from his injuries. "Are you Lloyd?"

"Give me your name, and I'll give you mine!" Lloyd stupidly replied. The usual bravery behind these words was a bit lacking, given his current state.

To my surprise, Lord Yggdrasill laughed. "People need not introduce themselves to a dog."

I could see Lloyd's jaw lock. "What did you say?"

Lord Yggdrasill chose not to answer. Instead, his gaze shifted to me. "Aurelia. Perhaps you can give me a proper introduction?"

"Aurelia?" Sheena eyed me cautiously, suspicion creeping into her words.

I couldn't look at any of them. I doubted that I was ever going to be able to again. The only place my gaze would steady itself was on his eyes. They were so familiar to me, but at the same time, the expression they currently held was so very out of place. They almost held some kind of cruel amusement, as though he were getting a kick out of watching me suffer like this. I felt pain in my chest. Why was he doing this to me?

"His name…" I gulped, my mouth suddenly very dry. "Lord Yggdrasill. Leader of Cruxis."

"The leader of Cruxis…" Raine breathed.

"And?" Lord Yggdrasill prompted me further.

My heart beat quickened even further. I couldn't believe he was putting me through this.

"And…the Desians." I expected to erupt in a fit of coughs at finally revealing this secret, but I didn't even feel a tickle. I felt…nothing. Emptiness.

"Wha…what?" Lloyd stammered, completely taken back by my statement. "What are you talking about? Aurelia how do you know this?"

Lord Yggdrasill's lips pulled into a smirk. "Why, I'm surprised you haven't figured it out sooner."

I felt nauseous. "No…" I said pleadingly. "Lord Yggdrasill, _please. _Don't."

"You see," he said, as though I hadn't even spoken, despite the fact his cruel eyes never left mine. "Your dear friend Aurelia is in fact one of those very people you hate so much, Lloyd Irving." He paused before finally saying it. "A Desian."

Lloyd's face went blank with shock. "She's…she's what?"

He laughed and raised his hand in the air. A sword manifested before him, the blade pulsating and violet, seemingly made out of mana. The power from that sword…it was frightening. He didn't even touch the sword, yet it suddenly produced a wave of power that shot out in every direction, causing everyone it hit to go flying back. Lloyd, being the closest to the sword, was knocked back the furthest, hitting one of the pillars surrounding the platform. It cracked in two and tumbled down into the abyss. He leaned against the remainder of the pillar, unconscious. In fact, everyone in the group seemed to have been knocked out from the blast.

Everyone but me.

My joints felt as though they were about to snap, but I still managed to lift myself to my feet. I stared at Lord Yggdrasill, all of the questions I'd been wanting to ask him trapped in my brain, unable to be put to words.

"You've had your fun, Aurelia," he said coldly. "Now it's time for you to return home."

I looked around at all of my friends, unmoving on the ground. My voice was incredibly shaky when I spoke. "W-Why? Why would you do something like this?" I wasn't just talking about the bodies scattered around me. That one question summed up everything I had been feeling up until this point. Every piece of knowledge that had continued to drive the knife further and further into my back.

He held out his hand to me. "I will explain everything, when we return home." His fingers curled inwards slightly, inviting me to advance. "Come."

My legs seemed to move on their own. I took a trembling step away from him. I shook my head. "N-No. Explain now." It was the first time I had ever disobeyed him in any way. I looked for any sign on his face that I had sparked his anger. I saw nothing.

"Very well," he said a bit shortly, and although he was now fixing his attention on an unconscious Lloyd, I knew the conversation was far from over. He took hold of the glowing sword and began to approach Lloyd. My heart stopped.

"_No!" _I cried out. I noticed Kratos tense considerably as well. He wore an odd, almost _pained_ expression.

Lord Yggdrasill ignored my cry and looked over his shoulder. "Kratos, I trust you have no objections?"

A sound of distress escaped Kratos' throat.

I whipped my head around to stare pleadingly at him. "Kratos, _please!_ You may not have always gotten along, but-but I can tell Lloyd looked up to you, in _some_ way! Please don't let this happen!"

He didn't look at me. His eyes remained fixed on Lloyd, but he didn't say a word.

Lord Yggdrasill didn't wait for a reply. "Farewell." He raised the sword high in the air.

"_Lloyd!" _I shrieked. I attempted to run forward but my legs gave out and I fell to my knees.

A loud sound erupted behind me. Lord Yggdrasill jumped back as a white blast of pure mana shot towards him.

I looked over my shoulder and inhaled sharply. Botta, the not-Desian, ran up the path from the portal, along with a group of his men. The men instantly stormed the platform and began grabbing the unconscious bodies.

Botta stopped in his tracks when he saw Colette, hovering soullessly. "Damn! The Chosen has already become an angel. We have no choice. We're taking her back with us alive!" He pointed a large gun towards Lord Yggdrasill and Kratos while his men grabbed Lloyd and Colette. Keeping the gun level, he slowly made his way to me.

"Aurelia, take my hand."

I stared up at him in shock. His face was urgent as he extended his hand towards me.

"Aurelia, you don't want to do that," Lord Yggdrasill said softly. Despite his tone, there was a harsh, biting edge behind his words that caused me to flinch.

"Aurelia," Botta repeated. His tone was gentle. Concerned. I thought of Olivia's words in Luin.

_Do not allow yourself to be captured by them. They definitely mean you harm. No matter what they try to tell you._

My jaw set with determination, I grasped Botta's hand as tightly as I could manage. He pulled me to my feet.

"I don't think so." Lord Yggdrasill sent a blast of mana towards Botta.

The burly half-elf attempted to dodge it. However, in doing so I was pulled in the way of the blast. It connected with my chest, and I was instantly out cold.

* * *

"_Very good, Aurelia. Again."_

_I panted heavily as the training dummy before me healed itself, closing up cuts and regenerating limbs. I'd forgotten gloves that day, so my fingers were already beginning to blister. It didn't bother me so much, though. I hardly ever healed them anyway. I liked the way my fingers felt when they hardened into calluses. It was a symbol of all my hard work._

_Unfortunately, Lady Pronyma found them to be unsightly, and so while _I _never healed them, she always did as soon as she noticed them._

"_Again?" I questioned. _

"_Of course. You aren't going to get any stronger if you don't maintain your practice." _

"_I know, but…" I knew Lady Pronyma was right, but at the same time… "We've been at this for three hours. Can't I take a break?"_

_Lady Pronyma crossed her arms, tapping her fingers while she stared disapprovingly at me. _

"_I think a break is definitely in order."_

_I turned around to see Lord Yggdrasill hovering in the doorway of the training room. He had an amused smile on his face._

"_Lord Yggdrasill!" I exclaimed happily. "Thank you!"_

_He nodded and proceeded into the room. He stopped when he reached us. "Pronyma, I need you to go to Sylvarant anyway and check on each center, particularly the Remote Island center."_

_She bowed. "Yes, my lord. If I might ask, is there any particular reason for the urgency of that center?"_

_His eyes darkened slightly. "Rodyle is keeping secrets. Find out what he is up to."_

"_Yes, my lord." She straightened from her bow and started to leave the room._

"_Wait!" I called after her._

_She stopped in her tracks, clearly irritated. "What?"_

_I turned to Lord Yggdrasill. "Can I go too?"_

_I'd asked this question hundreds of times, so I shouldn't have even been disappointed when he gently shook his head, cuing Lady Pronyma to continue out of the room. Still, I couldn't help but hang my head a little and feel a sinking feeling in my gut. "Oh. Okay…" I watched sadly as Lady Pronyma left the room, wanting more than anything to go with her._

"_You are sad." It wasn't so much as a question, but more of an observation._

_I sighed lightly and shook my head. "N-No, not sad…" My gaze drifted to the floor. "I just…I've lived in Derris-Kharlan my whole life, and…well, I've just learned so much about Tethe'alla and Sylvarant. Blue skies, shining sun, grass beneath my feet." My voice lowered. "I just want to see it all for myself."_

_I felt his hand on my shoulder. "Someday, you will."_

_I looked up at him excitedly. "You mean it?"_

_He nodded once, staring off into some unseen distance. "Yes. When the time comes, we shall go together."_

_I blushed, a smile fighting wildly against my lips. I turned away quickly so he wouldn't see. "Together…I'd really like that!"_

_He suddenly gave my shoulder a shake. "Aurelia."_

_I looked up at him. "Huh?"_

_He shook me again, this time a bit rougher. "Aurelia."_

"_What are you-?"_

"AURELIA."

I was jolted awake. I sat upright in my bed, looking around wildly. I wasn't in Derris-Kharlan anymore. In fact, I had no idea where I was at all. Glancing around the room, it looked like some kind of infirmary, with beds lining the room. Most of them were empty, except for a few injured men, and Lloyd, in the bed at the farthest end of the room. The room looked vaguely familiar, but I couldn't quite place where I had seen it before.

Sheena stood beside the bad I lay in. I assumed it was her who had woken me up. One of her arms was bandaged and resting in a sling.

"Ah, Sheena." I struggled into a more comfortable sitting position with a groan. "W-Where are we? The last thing I remember is…"

My memory returned to me in one, awful rush. _Colette is soulless…Kratos is gone…and…and everyone knows about who I am._

I could feel panicked tears start to surface. "Sheena, I-"

She shook her head. "Don't say it Aurelia. That's something you're going to have to explain to everyone else."

I nodded silently. "I-I know. Sorry." I cleared my throat. My voice was rough from sleep. "How…how long have I been asleep for?"

"It's been two days since we left the Tower of Salvation," she told me.

"_What?"_ I exclaimed. "I've been asleep for two days?"

She nodded grimly. "Yeah. The doctor figured that it was a mix between your injuries and trauma. He wanted me to wake you up though. See how you were doing. Get some food into you."

"Trauma…" I laughed and shook my head. "I think this has been a traumatizing experience for all of us."

"At least you didn't have to deal with the shock of finding out the truth about all of this. You knew all along." He eyes shifted to the floor. "I can't believe we've been so stupid."

Whether she meant it or not, it still felt like a slap in the face to hear her say that. "Sheena…"

She glanced up. "Oh, Aurelia, sorry. I realized how that must have sounded." She smiled, although it didn't quite reach her eyes. "I'm not mad at you. It's…a little much to take in, but…" She shrugged. "How about you just explain it once we have everyone all together?"

"A-Alright…" She wasn't mad at me…?

"Besides," she said with a sigh, "I don't think it's me you need to worry about. Lloyd _still _hasn't woken up." She looked over at his bed worriedly. "I'd hate to imagine what he's possibly feeling about all this."

"Lloyd…" My guilt stabbed at my insides like a sword. I wasn't entirely sure that I _wanted _Lloyd to wake up. He probably hated me now.

Scratch that. He almost _definitely_ hated me now. How could he not? His parents were killed by Desians. I don't think anyone in this group hated Desians more than he did. The very thought of him waking up made my insides grow cold.

"Anyway," Sheena was saying. "We need to get you something to eat. You're probably starving."

As if on cue, my stomach let out a monstrous growl. My cheeks reddened and I obliged to the offer. Using Sheena's help, I eased myself out of bed. As soon as I tried to stand on my own, the room spun and I began to sway.

Sheena caught me by the arm with her good hand. "Yes, I think food is definitely a good idea for you. Just hold on to me and I'll help you to the dining hall."

As we walked, she briefly explained to me what had happened. Botta and his men had rescued us at the Tower of Salvation, that much I remembered. She went on to explain that we were currently in the Triet base, the very same one that I had ended up in upon arriving in Sylvarant and where I had joined Lloyd and the others. Botta and company weren't Desians – this much I also knew – but rather a group called the Renegades, who were against Cruxis, for obvious reasons, I guess.

The dining hall turned out to be a semi-spacious room with long tables that had benches attached to either side. Judging by the dim, bluish light seeping in from the windows, I concluded that it was either early in the morning or late in the evening. The room wasn't largely occupied; a few people were scattered around the tables, but it was mostly empty.

Raine and Genis sat across from each other at the end of the nearest table to us. Plates of half-eaten meat and potatoes sat on the table in front of them. Dinnertime, then.

Both looked up as we approached.

"Aurelia, you're awake!" said Genis. Despite looking relieved, his tone was a bit uneasy.

I nodded. "Hi."

Raine stood to help me sit down while Sheena went off in search of food. "You must be starving."

I nodded again. "Well, two days without food is a little much."

The conversation seemed to end at that. While I felt much better now that I was seated, a whole new problem was presenting itself in the form of an awkward silence. A single topic hovered in the air, unspoken.

Sheena soon returned with two plates of food stacked on top of one another. She sat next to Raine, across from me, and handed me my plate. Embarrassingly enough, I began to devour my food as soon as it was handed to me. At least eating provided a distraction from what I knew was coming.

"So, Aurelia…" Raine began. "As I'm sure you are well aware, there are some things we need to discuss."

I gulped down a particularly large mouthful of potatoes. "Um, right. But…shouldn't we wait for Lloyd?"

Sheena gave me a pointed look. "Do you _want _to wait for Lloyd? Or would you rather explain it to the ones who are going to act civil first?"

"That's a good point," I sighed. I set my fork down on my plate to hide how badly my hands were shaking. If only Colette were here for support. Sheena had told me that she was undergoing testing by the doctors here – I still wasn't quite sure where _here_ was – but even if she was with me right now, it wouldn't have made much difference. She couldn't even speak.

"I guess I should start now," I said, taking a deep, shaking breath. "Ah, where to begin…? Well, I was raised by Lord Yggdrasill, leader of the Desians, and…as you now know…um, Cruxis."

"So that much _is_ in fact true," Raine commented. "And you knew this all along…"

"Yes, but you have to believe me when I tell you that it's not quite what you think. Yes, I knew that Cruxis and the Desians are one and the same. I hid that from you all, and I'm not going to try and deny that." I paused to take a breath. My heart was pounding, and I stared at my plate rather than at the others. "I spent my whole life away from both Tethe'alla _and _Sylvarant. A place you have probably all been taught to refer to as 'heaven'. Anyway, yeah. Lord Yggdrasill raised me. Took care of me. He taught me all about the two worlds, or…so I thought. I now know that he actually lied about a lot of things."

"Such as?" Genis prompted.

"Such as the true nature of the Desians, for one thing," I replied, a bitter edge hinting in my voice. "He made me believe that Desians were good. That they 'upheld the law' of the declining world and kept order. I think…he must have known that I wouldn't agree with what they were really about." I stopped to correct myself. "What _we_ were really about. Because yes, I'm a Desian. I've lived a lie almost my entire life, thinking I was a part of something to be proud about."

I let this information sink in, allowing room for any questions.

"If you aren't from Sylvarant, then how did you get here?" Sheena asked.

I peeked up from my plate to see the three of them watching and listening to my story with expressions of interest. While there did seem to be some hardness in each of their expressions, it wasn't directed at me, but rather at the subject of Desians and this grand betrayal we all found ourselves in. Either way, no seemed to be angry with me.

"I really don't know," I said. "I woke up in the Triet Desert one day, completely unsure of how I had gotten there. I know that I have a history of sleepwalking, but I really don't understand how it could be so bad as to have gotten me to Sylvarant. Anyway, I decided that I would try and find the nearest Desian center – which I now know to be human ranches. Lord Yggdrasill and Lady Pronyma always referred to them as centers, which obviously sounds much better. When I got to Triet, I ended up being captured by Botta and his men and ended up here. I met Lloyd, we escaped…well, and you pretty much know the rest."

Genis nodded. "Yeah! You joined with us so that you could find someone you know. Regain your memory. Right?" He paused. "But…you really didn't lose your memory…did you?"

"Not to the extent which I told you guys," I admitted guiltily. "I knew that I was a Desian, of course, but with the way you all were talking about them…I was too scared to say anything. Plus, for some reason my mana didn't give it away. You and Raine thought I was a human. I didn't know why, but everyone seemed to hate Desians, so I kept quiet about it." I avoided eye contact after saying that. I sniffed a little and continued. "Um, but with my memory, pieces of it _were_ missing. I barely remembered anything about my home, except for some of the people like Lord Yggdrasill, Lady Pronyma and Remiel. Kratos was completely gone though, for obvious reasons I guess."

"Yggdrasill must have done something to tamper with your memory," Raine said thoughtfully. "It would also explain why you weren't able to tell us anything about Remiel, or voice your concerns."

"How could he do that though?" asked Genis. "Is that even possible?"

"Lord Yggdrasill is an extremely powerful angel," I told him. "I'm sure he could find a way." I tried to ignore the hurt I felt at the fact that he would tamper with my mind like that. I couldn't help but wonder what else he did.

"I have a question," said Sheena. "If you had wanted to, would you have been able to tell us about Cruxis and the Desians being the same?"

I shook my head. "Believe me, if I had been able to warn you all, then I would have. What happened at the Tower of Salvation…that was the _last_ thing I ever wanted to happen. I feel so incredibly guilty about all of this. Like it's my fault somehow."

"You should feel guilty."

My heart plunged. Lloyd stood in the doorway of the dining hall, leaning against the doorframe for support as he listened to my tale.

"L-Lloyd…" I mumbled.

He pushed himself away from the doorframe and approached the table, limping. He stopped directly in front of me.

"Lloyd, you shouldn't be standing," Raine tried to say, but she trailed into silence. He clearly wasn't listening. He simply stared at me with little emotion in his eyes.

I felt terrified.

Lloyd lifted his hand and for a moment I was scared he was going to slap me as he brought it towards my face. Instead, he grabbed a chunk of my hair and lifted it away from my face, exposing my pointed ears. For a human, that was really the only way to identify a half-elf. Despite not being slapped, I cringed all the same.

He let the hair drop. "It really is true."

I nodded. "Yep. I'm a Desian."

He got a confused look on his face. It could have just been from all of his medication though. "No you're not."

"Um…" I looked at the others. They looked as confused as I felt. "Yes I am Lloyd. You heard my story, right?"

"I heard it. And it's clear that you've been just as betrayed as the rest of us." Despite his understanding tone, he still looked angry. "You stopped being a Desian the moment you decided to start helping us. I'm not mad about something you were born into. Something you can't control. I'm mad that you felt the need to hide it from us."

"Lloyd…" I was shocked. I'd expected him to be _furious._ In every scenario I'd gone over in my mind, this conversation had ended with me getting slapped or yelled at or with Lloyd hating me. None of them ended with this…weird, understanding Lloyd. It just wasn't right.

"Lloyd is right," Raine agreed. "Granted, this is a totally unexpected reaction, but he's right all the same. You hid who you are out of fear. You've been an enormous help. Not to mention that you put yourself through physical pain trying to warn us about Remiel. You've more than proved yourself, Aurelia. You shouldn't have been so worried."

Genis spoke up, "Yeah! The Desians are just a group, right? There are half-elves that aren't Desians." He hesitated. I knew for sure he was talking about himself and Raine. "Besides, it's not your fault that you were lied to! There's no way you could have done anything about it if you thought nothing was wrong!"

Finally, Sheena added her piece. "You agreed with Colette and Lloyd in helping me, even though you knew the reality of my situation when no one else did. You knew how hopeless I felt about it all, and you still wanted to help find a solution. Besides, if you really were against us, you would have left with Kratos at the Tower of Salvation." She smiled. "You're still here, right?"

As I looked around at each of them, I found myself filled with the hugest sense of relief I'd ever felt. I suddenly felt so much lighter. "You guys…" I stared at my plate again, wearing a huge smile and hiding my watery eyes.

Lloyd laughed weakly. He swayed suddenly and gripped the table for support.

Raine stood and immediately went to his side. "You shouldn't even be out of bed, Lloyd. You're still recovering."

He placed his hands on his stomach and groaned. "But Professor! I'm starving!"

Genis shrugged. "Raine, you know that's probably all that's wrong with him. Two days without food? That's huge for Lloyd."

Lloyd scowled at him, but didn't protest when Raine sat him down and left to get him food. The moment she returned with a heaped plate of food, he did what I had done – immediately began to practically inhale it. He had the plate spotless after only a few minutes. Once he was done, he sat in silence. None of us, for some reason, wanted to speak until he did.

"This really happened, didn't it?" he, at last, murmured. He looked up at us. The expression on his face…he looked lost. That was the best way I could describe it. "Kratos betrayed us, Cruxis is all a lie, and Colette…" He dropped his head, no doubt to hide the tears brimming in his eyes. "Is she really…?"

Sheena nodded sadly. "Unfortunately, yes. She doesn't respond to anything. She just sits there…soulless."

I heard a choked sob. When Raine clapped a hand over her mouth, I realized it came from her.

"Professor…"

Raine ignored Lloyd and stood. "I-I'm going to go check with the doctors." She hastily wiped at her eyes and hurried off.

I stared after her, feeling hollowness in my gut. None of this was right. It wasn't supposed to turn out like this.

"Now what do we do?" I whispered. "I mean, are we just supposed to sit around and…and what?"

"Well, that's exactly what I would like to discuss with you all."

Yuan, the blue-haired half-elf, approached our table. Lloyd and I both instantly tensed up. Lloyd, obviously because he still thought these people were Desians, but I was alert for a different reason. The memory of Yuan attacking me in Hima flashed through my mind.

"Yuan…" I almost hissed.

The others glanced at me in surprise.

"Oh, you know _him _too?" Lloyd asked bitingly.

I flinched. "Well, not really." I looked back at Yuan, taking in his regal face, and noticing how tired he looked. Stressed. "He…attacked me in Hima. Tried to take me back here. Kratos saved me."

"What?" Sheena exclaimed. She whipped her head around to gape at Yuan. "Yuan, why?"

Lloyd's look of exasperation grew. "Sheena, you too? Genis, I suppose you're buddies with this creep too?"

"Calm down," Yuan said impatiently. "I can understand you are untrusting of us, Lloyd Irving. There is much we need to explain. If you all would join me in my office – the Chosen and the healer are already there."

"Colette!" Lloyd exclaimed. He sighed in defeat. "Fine, lead us there."

The four of us followed Yuan through the halls of the…building. I suppose it wouldn't really be accurate to call it a ranch anymore, seeing as they weren't Desians. Still, I was reminded of when Botta captured me in Triet and brought me here. Yes, they had saved us, and yes, they were against Cruxis, but did that really mean they were on our side? It was all a little too suspicious for my liking.

We reached the same room Lloyd and I had ducked into that day, so long ago – Yuan's office. Botta stood there, his stony expression shifting when he saw us. His eyes locked onto mine. I looked away, feeling uncomfortable.

Raine and Colette were also there; Raine's eyes were swollen and red from the recent crying she'd done. Colette simply stared blankly at the wall, her angel wings still fully unfolded.

"Colette!" Lloyd ran to her side, arms open to embrace her.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Yuan warned as he sat at his desk.

Lloyd stopped in his tracks just before reaching her. "What? Why?"

"She's little more than a lethal weapon in her current state," Botta explained calmly. "Any sudden movement at her will result her attacking. She has no control over it, so it is best not to take any risks."

"She wouldn't attack me," Lloyd said angrily. "Colette _knows _me."

Yuan shook his head. "No, she doesn't 'know' _anyone_ in this state. Her soul is gone. She's a shell, whose only purpose is to be a vessel to the goddess, Martel."

Before Lloyd could say anything else, I cut him off. "Um, perhaps you should tell us all what we're doing here. Not everyone has the full story."

Lloyd glanced at Colette before nodding. "Yeah, that would be nice."

"First of all, you're not Desians," I stated. I just felt the need to get it out in the open so that Lloyd would stop being so hostile.

"You're not?" Lloyd said in disbelief.

"Correct," Yuan replied. "We're an underground resistance dedicated to fighting the Desians…or rather, Cruxis."

"The Renegades," Sheena clarified.

He nodded.

"So then…Cruxis and the Desians really are the same organization!" Hearing it confirmed like this, Lloyd really seemed to realize what had happened. His were wide, his face paling to a startling white.

"Correct." It was Botta's turn to confirm things this time. "Cruxis controls the Church of Martel in the open, and operates the Desians from behind the scenes. The Desians are a subordinate organization within Cruxis."

Yuan continued, "The Church of Martel is nothing more than an instrument created by Cruxis to rule the world. Those who call themselves angels are half-elves, who've evolved by using a special type of Exspheres, called Cruxis Crystals." His eyes darted towards Colette's own crystal. "They aren't gods, or anything of the sort. Of course, the Church of Martel and the Chosen know nothing about that."

"Cruxis are half-elves too?" Sheena questioned, looking surprised.

I noticed Yuan twitch angrily, and Botta stepped in to calmly answer, "Yes, mostly all of Cruxis and the Desians, as well as ourselves, are half-elves."

Lloyd considered this before asking another question. "What is Cruxis trying to accomplish, anyway? Are they trying to rule the world or something?"

"Do you intend to have _us _explain everything?" Yuan snapped, his patience finally drained. "How about using your own head a little?"

Lloyd locked his jaw, preparing to shoot back what he would consider to be a smart comment, but Raine cut him off, speaking for the first time in the conversation.

"Do they wish to revive the Goddess Martel?" she pondered. Her voice was hoarse, lacking its usual confidence and volume. "They send oracles to those of the mana lineage and control their marriages to create Chosens who will journey to the Tower of Salvation and lose their souls to become vessels." She shook her head, and her disdain for the practice was quite obvious. "It seems meaninglessly drawn out and complicated."

Yuan looked speechless, meaning Raine was no doubt correct.

"Well, well," said Botta, looking surprised. "I must say I am impressed. Yes, that is indeed their goal."

"But…wait," I spoke up. Raine's suggestion had sparked a thought in my mind.

"Yes, Aurelia?" Botta looked even more patient than before, if possible.

"There have been six Chosens before Colette who have completed the transformation," I said slowly. "As well as a number from Tethe'alla, correct?"

Botta nodded in confirmation.

"Well if that's true, then why is this insane practice still happening? If getting rid of the Chosen's soul means that Martel can use that vessel as her new body, shouldn't this have all stopped when the first Chosen succeeded?"

"A soulless body is not the only thing needed for a proper vessel," Botta explained. "None of the previous Chosens have had a close enough mana signature to work."

"So what would have happened to Colette if we let them take her and it didn't work?" Genis asked worriedly.

"She would simply join the ranks of the soulless angels already present within Cruxis," Yuan said emotionlessly. "An unimportant foot soldier, as one might call it."

The muted fury on Lloyd's face was impossible to ignore. He clenched his fists, but didn't say anything.

"There is another world beyond Sylvarant that competes for mana," said Yuan.

"Tethe'alla."

Yuan looked at Lloyd for a moment before continuing. "Yes. And the one who created this twisted world was Cruxis' leader, Yggdrasill."

The outcry from this statement was immediate. Everyone displayed various exclamations of shock. I was reeling. There was no way! I knew that Lord Yggdrasill was powerful, but could _anyone _be so powerful as to actually create a world?

"'Create a world'?" Genis repeated in disbelief. "That's ridiculous! No one can do that!"

Yuan sighed impatiently. "If that's what you believe, then our conversation ends here. If you would excuse me, I have more important matters to attend to-"

"Wait!" Lloyd exclaimed, stopping Yuan in his tracks.

"Yes?" His voice was heavy with annoyance.

"If Yggdrasill was the one that created the two worlds himself, what can you possibly hope to do against someone with power like that? And that's not all!" His expression grew suspicious once again. "You tried to kill Colette and me. _And _you tried to kidnap Aurelia in Hima! You're obviously not our side, so why did you save us?"

Yuan smirked. "You're not as stupid as you seem."

"Excuse me?" Lloyd snapped, indignant at having his intelligence called into question by Yuan of all people.

Before Yuan could anger Lloyd further, Botta stepped in to explain. "Our goal is to stop Martel's revival. Therefore, the Chosen, would become her vessel, was an obstacle."

"So trying to kill her was really the only option?" Lloyd demanded angrily.

"I'd imagine it was," said Raine. "As much as I hate to say it, if they truly wished to prevent Martel's revival, then killing the Chosen would be the most logical solution."

"So that explains Colette," I said quickly, seeing the rage brewing on Lloyd's face, "but what about me and Lloyd?" It was almost timidly that I asked this, as I was somewhat afraid of the answer.

Botta stared at me. I could tell he was debating on what to tell me. "Aurelia, you…staying here is within your best interest. We've been trying to keep you here for your own protection."

"I'm sorry?" I scoffed. This had sparked my anger for some reason. "Are you trying to tell me I can't protect myself? How does that matter to you anyway?"

He recoiled at my harsh tone, which surprised me. Botta didn't seem to be the type to be fazed by what anyone said.

Yuan spoke for Botta, who was clearly at a loss for words. "If Cruxis were to have you in their grasp again, it would be of disastrous consequence."

"How so?" Sheena questioned.

"It would be best if that information was kept secret," Botta said quietly.

"Well until you tell me, there's no way in hell I'm staying here," I griped. "What about Colette, anyway? You're probably just going to kill her now, right? Do you think we're just going to let that happen?"

"Apparently you weren't listening before," said Yuan. "Now that the Chosen has completed the angel transformation, she has become a lethal weapon whose only goal is self-preservation. We wouldn't dare lay a hand on her. However, now that we have the key to stopping Martel's resurrection, we no longer have need of the Chosen."

"You've found another way?" Sheena exclaimed. "Why didn't you mention this before?"

I felt my insides start to twist together when I saw the expression on Yuan's face. He bore an arrogant smile and fixed his gaze on Lloyd.

"What we really need now, is _you,_ Lloyd Irving."

Lloyd flinched. "W-What?"

Before any of us could even really react, Renegade soldiers spilled into the room and surrounded us, blocking any chance of escape.

I cast a wild glance around the room. Raine and Genis both had their weapons, it seemed, as did Sheena. With a quick pat at my belt I realized my weapons hadn't been taken from me when I'd been put in the infirmary bed. Lloyd appeared to have his swords as well. And Colette…well, given her current state, I didn't have any doubt that she would be able to hold her own if any Renegades went near her.

Lloyd's hands flew to his swords. "What the hell is so important about me anyway?"

"That's none of your concern," said Yuan. He raised a hand to the soldiers. "Get him!"

The soldiers began closing in us, forcing us into a circle. To my surprise, Colette was actually able to move for herself, centering in with the rest of us until we all stood with our backs to each other.

Yuan lunged forward at Lloyd, along with two other Renegades. Lloyd drew his swords and slashed at the two soldiers, sending them flying back. He sheathed his swords again and brought his foot back to administer a hard kick to Yuan's stomach.

I wouldn't have expected Yuan to take much notice of a measly kick, however he went staggering back and doubled over, clutching at his stomach. When he brought his hand away, it was covered in blood. He cursed under his breath.

"Lord Yuan!" one of the soldiers shouted.

Botta ran to his leader's side and took in the blood seeping through his clothing. "No! It's his wound from Hima!"

Yuan returned his hand to the unseen wound and struggled to his feet. "Damn you Kratos…how many times must you get in my way?"

"'Wound from Hima'?" Lloyd repeated slowly. "That means that you're the one who attacked Kratos the night before we left for the Tower of Salvation!"

"There's no time for that now, Lloyd!" Sheena exclaimed. "We need to get out of here!"

While the soldiers were distracted with Yuan's injuries, Sheena cut through the ones blocking the exit and we all hurried from the room. As soon as everyone was through Sheena stopped in the doorway.

"Corrine! Keep them distracted!"

The tiny fox spirit with its shimmering blue tails appeared in a puff of smoke and growled at the soldiers. We hurried off, the shouts of the Renegades echoing behind us.

We ran through the halls of the base until we managed to find a room to hide in. It was unlit, but not so dim that we couldn't see. Surprisingly enough, Colette had followed behind us the whole time.

Sheena stood at the door, keeping her cards at the ready in case any Renegades decided to check this room. "We can't stay here for long. I'd imagine they'll be doing a full sweep of the base."

"Dammit!" Lloyd exclaimed. "What's so special about me? These Renegades need to make up their freaking minds about whether they're our enemies or not!"

"What are we going to do now?" Genis questioned, his voice quivering slightly.

Lloyd glanced at the floating, soulless angel in the room with us. "We've got to save Colette somehow. She's going to die if she's made into Martel's vessel!"

"But what can we do?"

Everyone fell into silent thought. Really, what could be done to return someone's soul to their body? Where was her soul right now? Was there any way she _could_ be saved?

"Sheena, where did you get your Exsphere?" Raine asked suddenly.

Sheena blinked in response. "Uh, well _that_ was completely out of nowhere. Anyway, I got this before I came here. They attached it to me at the Imperial Research Academy."

Raine nodded in thought. "I see. Is it normal for people to equip Exspheres in Tethe'alla?"

"N-No, not at all." Sheena's forehead creased in confusion. She clearly had no idea where this conversation was going. "The technology was originally brought over by the Renegades. Nowadays Exspheres are mainly attached to machines."

"Wait a second," said Lloyd. "Are you saying Tethe'alla and the Renegades are on the same side?"

"I'm not sure if you could say _that,_" she replied. "However, the Renegades were actually the ones who brought us information on the nature of the two worlds. And the plan to assassinate the Chosen was _their_ idea. They talked the King and the Pope into it." She paused, as if remembering the conversation. "'If you desire for Tethe'alla to prosper, kill the Chosen of Sylvarant'."

Genis frowned. "That's horrible!"

"So _that's_ why you were hired to kill Colette," I said. "It would also explain how you knew Yuan earlier."

She nodded. "Yep."

"Everyone, I suggest that we go to Tethe'alla," Raine announced.

"Why Tethe'alla?" Genis asked his sister.

"Don't you remember what Yuan said? Angels are actually just half-elves who have evolved using Cruxis Crystals."

Lloyd's face lit up in understanding. "I get it! Colette's current condition is caused by the Cruxis Crystal!"

Raine nodded. "Yes. Since Tethe'alla is studying Exspheres, then they very well may now something about Cruxis Crystals as well. After all, they are merely an advanced kind of Exsphere."

"That's actually not a bad idea," Sheena agreed. "I'm pretty sure that they're studying the Cruxis Crystal that belongs to Tethe'alla's Chosen at the Imperial Research Academy."

"There's a Chosen in Tethe'alla too?" Genis said in awe.

"Of course," said Sheena. "The world regeneration ritual is carried out in Tethe'alla as well. The Church of Martel exists too."

Lloyd shook his head. "Man, you would think that with that many Chosens completing the journey, they would find _someone_ who could be the right vessel."

"Perhaps it's good that they haven't," I said solemnly. "I hate to think of all of those Chosens just sacrificing their lives, but at the same time, who knows what would happen if Cruxis really did succeed in reviving Martel?"

"There are just too many things we don't know enough about," Lloyd said matter-of-factly. "Cruxis' objective, the Renegades, the method to save Colette – so let's just start with what we can do now."

"So we're going to Tethe'alla?" Sheena clarified.

"Yeah," Lloyd confirmed. "That's the only lead we have right now." His eyes shined fiercely in the dark room. "And this time, I'm going to fulfill my role. I'm not going to let Colette bear the burden all by herself anymore."

"Wait a minute," said Genis. "This is a great plan and all, but how are we actually going to _get_ to Tethe'alla?"

We all looked at Sheena.

"Well," she began. "When I came to Sylvarant I used a craft called a rheaird. They can pass through distortions in space. They should still be kept in the hangar here." She pressed her ear to the door and listened closely for approaching footsteps. "We should be safe for right now. I'll lead you there."

* * *

After cautiously making our way through the halls of the base, we came to the doors of the hangar. They were sealed shut, locked by a password-protected keypad.

"Dammit!" Lloyd threw a glance over his shoulder. The Renegades would no doubt be catching up to us soon. "Now what do we do?"

I thought back to the first time Lloyd and I had been in this base, and I'd opened the door using mana. That had been the last time I'd used such a trick. One, because the mana in Sylvarant was so depleted compared to Derris-Kharlan that little tricks like that didn't work too great. Two, because I was supposed to be a human, and I'd been trying to draw as little attention to myself as possible.

Now that my secret was out, I really didn't give a damn. I threw my hand out in front of me and let mana flow from my hand to the doors. They slid open with ease.

"Aurelia," Sheena said blankly.

"Let's just stop being surprised about Aurelia's powers," Lloyd sighed. "She was raised by angels. Let's just go."

We dashed into the hangar. It was a large room with a huge computer terminal on one side, with a large door taking up one wall of the room.

Raine rushed over to the computer and began typing in commands. Not long after, a circle in the center of the room opened and a platform rose up, upon which four of the rheairds sat. The machines almost looked like mechanical dragons, with a built-in seat and handle and elegant steel wings.

"So those are the rheairds," Lloyd said in awe.

"Hurry!" Sheena urged, glancing towards the door as pounding footsteps could be heard outside. "They'll catch up to us!"

Since there were only four rheairds, and six of us, we had to split up. Sheena and I each took our own rheairds, while Raine went with Genis and Lloyd took Colette.

I sat upon my rheaird in terror. I had no idea how I was going to fly this thing, despite Sheena giving me a crash course in controlling it.

The runway began to light up. I powered up my rheaird, shaking in fear as the thing hummed beneath me.

Noise erupted behind us as the doors opened and Renegades poured into the room, fronted by Botta and Yuan.

I launched my Rheaird forward in a panic and began flying through space and light. I was only mildly relieved when I could hear the others behind me. The odd streaks of cosmic light that surrounded us soon melted away to reveal blue sky and ground far beneath me. Wind began whipping my hair in every direction, obscuring my vision.

A beeping sound emitted from my rheaird. I glanced down at it in confusion. Beeping. Did Sheena say anything about beeping? Random beeping generally couldn't be good, could it?

The rheaird beeped again, this time jerking forward and making a stuttering sound. I let out a scream.

"Sheena! What's happening?" Lloyd shouted, panicked. His rheaird must have been doing the same thing.

"The rheairds are suddenly-!"

Raine cut her brother off to cry, "_The fuel gauge is empty!"_

Sheena cursed loudly. "That's what it is! Since you've been releasing the seals in Sylvarant, the mana flow has been reversing! There's not enough mana here anymore!"

"_Meaning?"_ Genis demanded.

Even over the spluttering of the engines and the roar of the winds, I could have sworn I heard her gulp before shrieking, "_We're gonna fall!"_

The words had barely left her mouth before my rheaird stopped making noise altogether. It hovered in the air for a split second before it began speeding towards the earth. Scream after scream ripped from my throat. After all that we'd been through, every enemy we faced – we were really going to die like this.

I squeezed my eyes shut and braced myself for the impact.

* * *

**Finally in Tethe'alla! Kind of. I've been waiting so long to get to this part. Not long before Zelos :D**

**Reviews are, as always, extremely appreciated! Thanks for reading :)**


	24. A Rough Start

**Well, I took longer on this than I would have liked, but I rewrote bits of it several times because I wasn't happy with it.**

**Anyways, now start the adventures of Tethe'alla! And of course, the introduction to a certain character I know many of you have been waiting for :)**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

_I can't believe this is happening!_

That was the only thought I could fully grasp as we went plummeting to our deaths. We were headed straight for the summit of a mountain, full of chunks of rock that could easily impale us. In a desperate attempt to regain control of the rheaird, I gripped the handles tightly and tried to pull up. The machine tilted up and began to glide more levelly, however the speed of the descent barely decreased.

_I'm going to die I'm going to die I'm going to-_

My frantic thoughts were cut off as the front of the rheaird crashed into the mountain. The pointed tip buried itself into the ground and, as the back end rose into the air, I was bucked off and sent flying. For a moment, I didn't know which way was up until I hit something solid in the air and fell with a harsh thud to the ground.

I groaned. Well, I was still alive, but that certainly hadn't been painless. Lying on my back, I looked up at the sky to find Colette hovering above me. It must have been her who I hit. I wasn't really concerned about that, though. At the moment, my biggest concern was remembering how to breathe. When I finally remembered how to do _that,_ I eased myself into a sitting position and looked around, taking note of the damage done.

No one was dead, that much was immediately clear. There were various groans of pain and the sound of shifting on the dirt. The rheairds were scattered around the summit, looking pretty beat up. Dents and deep scratches covered the surface of each one, and tendrils of smoke puffed up from the engines, but they otherwise appeared to be in one piece.

My bag had miraculously landed next to me. I fished around inside for an apple gel to ease the dull ache spreading through my bones. Once it worked its magic, I stood up and gave the area further inspection.

We were indeed on a mountain top. The blue sky and crisp air surrounded me like a blanket, and I found myself breathing in cleanliness that I hadn't quite felt in Sylvarant. Tethe'alla had the faintest hum of extra mana, which was only really noticeable if you felt for it. On one side, the mountain range continued for a ways down. On the other sides lay crystal ocean and lush green plains with a main road cutting through, leading to a large city in the distance. Tethe'alla's capital, Meltokio, I would imagine.

Despite the fact that the mana balance was beginning to shift to Sylvarant's side, there was still quite an abundance of it in Tethe'alla. This…this was what I had been waiting to leave Derris-Kharlan to experience.

"Aurelia, are you alright?"

Raine approached me with her staff raised, ready to heal me if I needed it.

I nodded. "Thanks Raine, but I got an apple gel into me so I should be fine. What about everyone else?"

Lloyd flung his hand into the air, briefly. "Yep, we're all fine!" He let out a low whistle as he took in the state of the rheairds. "I guess the same can't be said about the rheairds though, huh?"

Sheena, who had abandoned her sling to control her rheaird, was examining each one carefully. She stood up straight and scratched her head. "Well, I think we managed to avoid destroying them completely…"

"But they're useless until we get some fuel," Genis sighed. He tapped the fuel gauge a nearby rheaird.

"What's the fuel?" Lloyd asked. "Coal?"

"'_Coal'? _Oh geez…" Sheena shook her head shamefully. "How do you guys even manage to actually _live_ in Sylvarant?"

"Then magic, I assume," said Raine, showing that not everyone in Sylvarant was as incompetent as Lloyd. "Perhaps the lightning that Volt produces?"

Genis nodded enthusiastically. "Oh! In that case, all we have to do is have Sheena summon Volt, right?"

We all turned to the summoner for approval, but I was shocked to see the look on her face. Her brown eyes had grown large, shining brightly as if coated with tears. She stared at the ground and quietly told us, "I…haven't made a pact with Volt."

Lloyd looked disappointed. "Oh…well then I guess we'll just have to leave these here." He stared at the rheairds longingly. He clearly hadn't noticed the look on Sheena's face. I wasn't sure if anyone else had either.

Either way, in order to get her mind off of whatever was troubling her, I said, "So, Sheena. Do you know where we are?"

"Um, right." She sniffed quietly and approached the edge of the mountain. She squinted into the distance for a while, scanning the horizon before returning to us.

"It's pretty likely that we're on the summit of one of the Fooji Mountains. I can see-"

She was cut off as Genis let out a shout. "Whoa! It's…the Tower of Salvation!"

Sure enough, in the far distance I could see a thin, white beam stretching high into the clouds.

"Why is that here?" Genis asked Sheena. "Aren't we in Tethe'alla?"

"Of course," she said calmly. "The Tower of Salvation appears in the flourishing world. The tower also appeared on your side after Colette received the oracle, correct?

"Two worlds, two towers…" Raine mused. She turned to Sheena. "What about the Holy Ground? The Church of Martel is also over here, correct? Is the Holy Ground called Kharlan?"

"Yes. The place where the Tower of Salvation lies is the Holy Ground of Kharlan. The same as your world."

Genis continued to look confused. "The Holy Ground of Kharlan is where the peace treaty was signed to end the Ancient War! There _can't_ be two of them!"

"Are you sure yours isn't a fake?" Sheena suggested, eyebrows arching up. "Because we have records in our museums depicting how the Hero Mithos called the two ancient kings to the Holy Ground of Kharlan in order to forge a peace treaty…"

"And such records exist on our side as well," Raine informed. "Instruments used to sign the treaty can be found in the Palmacosta Academy."

Lloyd struggled to grasp at all this. "So…either one side is fake, or…or maybe _both _actually exist?"

"Lloyd! That's not possible!" Genis threw his hands up in exasperation.

"Don't get mad," Lloyd said defensively. "I'm just saying stuff, relax." He trained his eyes on the horizon. "So, where are we headed again?"

"Meltokio," Sheena replied. "It's the center of all Tethe'alla, the Imperial City. I've written a letter to the King, explaining everything that happened. Hopefully he'll read it and know what to do about helping Colette."

He nodded. "Alright. Then what are we waiting for? The day's still got a few hours left, right?"

"So optimistic," I sighed. All the same, we started for the mountain path, getting quite a surprise once we got far enough down. This surprise came in the form of a large, white and green dog-like creature, which came bounding up the path. His barks and yips echoed around us.

"_Noishe?"_ Lloyd blurted in utter disbelief. "Oh man, I completely forgot about him! How could I?"

"Yeah, that's tragic Lloyd, but how the hell did he follow us here?" I stared at Noishe. My mouth involuntarily hung open. We had just travelled to a different world by passing through a distortion in space on flying machines, and Noishe just somehow showed up here? I was at a loss for words.

"Who cares? I'm just glad he made it!" Lloyd's grin was broad as he scratched his pet's ears. Noishe licked his face in response.

Shaking off the surprise and confusion, we continued our way down the mountain path. It wasn't that long of a path, actually. Compared to Hima, the path was more straightforward, and no giant boulders blocked our path, forcing us to find a new route. It was just straight walking, so it was a couple hours past nightfall when we finally reached the bottom, having only monsters to slow us down.

We set up camp at the bottom of the mountain. Everyone worked in silence as a fire was built, bed rolls were laid out, and food was cooked. It took me a moment to place the solemnity of the set up, but then I realized – this would have been Kratos' night to cook dinner.

I had done well just walking down the mountain and fighting, as he had never talked much anyway. However now, in the dark quiet of the campsite, his absence was like a gaping hole. I knew everyone else felt the same.

Not only that, but Colette added to the tenseness. Usually all you would be able to hear would be her cheerful voice, chattering away. Even after she lost her voice, her very presence brought a positive attitude to the group. Now, her body seemed to radiate coldness. There was nothing to brighten the mood.

At the end of the night, I curled up in my bedroll and pushed all the negative thoughts out of my mind. Despite having slept for two days, exhaustion soon overtook me, and the world of dreams welcomed me with open arms.

* * *

Meltokio was much closer than I'd expected. With Noishe trotting happily along beside us, we reached the Imperial City by a couple hours past noon. Noishe took off once we reached the front gates of the city, and we stood outside the tall stone walls surrounding Meltokio.

"Well, there you go," Sheena said with an odd sort of finality. "This is Meltokio. I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to part ways with you here."

I stared at her. "You are? But why?"

"Have you all forgotten? My goal was to kill Colette. I have to report my failure to the chief."

"Well is this chief person in this city?" Genis asked.

She shook her head. "I'm from Mizuho. The people of Mizuho were chased from this land. We all live in hiding."

Raine looked slightly worried. "If you go make that report, are you going to be alright? Because you failed…"

"Don't worry about that," Sheena dismissed. She reached into her bag and pulled out a scroll of paper. She handed it to me, since I was closest. "Anyway, that means that you guys need to deliver this letter to the King, in Castle Tethe'alla. If you tell him it's from Sheena Fujibayashi, of Mizuho, then he'll grant you an audience right away. He'll want to hear what happened in Sylvarant."

"The King wants to kill Colette, right?" Genis fixed his concerned, indigo eyes on the hovering Chosen. "Are you sure this is a good idea?"

She tapped the paper in my hand. "That's what the letter is for. Once he reads it, he'll be fully informed, and I also requested that they heal Colette."

Lloyd's face lit up. "Oh, Sheena! Thank you so much!"

Her face turned deep red. "Ah, no, y-you don't have to thank me. It's nothing. Don't mention it. The Imperial Research Academy is under control of the royal family. There isn't any other way, that's all!"

Genis started laughing. "Are you embarrassed? You're funny, Sheena!"

"Shut up!" she snapped, though her blush deepened. "Um, anyway. The castle isn't too hard to reach. The city goes up, like a hill, so if you keep heading up the stairs in all the main plazas, you should reach it with no problem. I'd wait until tomorrow though. Get fully rested and prepared before going, okay?"

Raine nodded. "Okay. We'll do that."

Sheena turned away from us and stared into the distance. "Anyway. I guess I'll be going now."

"Wait!" Lloyd protested. "We'll see you again, right?"

She paused. A contemplative look crossed over her face and she said seriously, "Maybe. Maybe not. It's hard to say."

"I'm sure we will!" I said. "You're just as involved in this is all of us, so there's obviously _some _way we'll meet up again."

She nodded, the corners of her mouth pulling into a slight smile. "Yeah. I'd like that."

"Well then we'll see you later!" Lloyd said decidedly. "Good luck with your report!"

"Thanks Lloyd! And everyone. Good luck with the king." There was a sort of awkward pause when she didn't know whether to leave or not, and we all just stared at each other. It was really rather emotional, now that I thought about it. Sheena had started out as an enemy, just some random assassin we'd been ambushed by at the Ossa Trail. And now…

_Now she's our friend._ Thinking of Kratos, I couldn't help but be amazed at how enemies had become friends, and…and friends had become enemies. It was all just so twisted.

Finally, with a brief nod, Sheena turned on her heel and continued on down the road. We all watched her go before returning our attention to the task at hand. Without another word, we set into the city.

Although I probably couldn't compare to the others, I was still impressed with the size of the city. It was surrounded in tall, stone walls, with beautiful houses and rich looking people. I couldn't even quite describe it. It was just so…_different, _from Sylvarant.

"This place is huge!" Lloyd exclaimed. He gaped at the bustling crowds and perfectly conditioned buildings. The city was certainly unlike anything he would ever see in Sylvarant, that's for sure.

"Indeed." Even Raine looked a bit taken back by her surroundings. "It would have been useful to have Sheena as a guide."

I turned to her. "She told us the road to the castle just goes straight up through the plazas, right? It shouldn't be hard to find."

Raine nodded. "Right. Well, how about this. We need to get to the inn, as well as replenish our supplies. Lloyd and Genis, you go find medical supplies. Aurelia, you're in charge of groceries."

I stupidly stopped listening after I was given my task. My attention wandered to the streets that stretched on in each direction. As I glanced at each person who passed, I couldn't help but find it odd not to hear Kratos adding his own instructions on to Raine's. He usually was the one who kept us on track.

_Probably because he was so damn concerned with making sure Colette became an angel. Bastard…_

Still fresh anger and betrayal swelled up within my and I tried my best to push it back down. Getting angry about it wasn't going to change anything. Besides…I had seen the look on his face at the Tower of Salvation when no one else had. He seemed uncomfortable with what was happening, if only by the faintest bit. There was no way he didn't still hold _some_ kind of attachment to us after all that time, right?

I sighed. Sure. Whatever. Keep dreaming, Aurelia.

"Aurelia?"

"Yes?" I murmured.

"You heard me right? Meet at the inn."

I nodded absently at Raine. "Yeah. Sure."

With that I was off, eager to explore this new city. It was my first Tethe'alla city, so I had to admit I was as excited as the others. One thing I noticed right away was the vibrancy of it all. Whether it was clothes or hair (which was something to get used to, to see so many people with brightly-coloured hair who _weren't_ half-elves), everything was noticeably brighter than Sylvarant. I liked it. No one had any worries about the Chosen completing her mission, or about Desians, or human ranches, or anything remotely as unpleasant. This truly was the prospering world.

It didn't take me long to find a grocer. It was a nice warm day, so the man, probably nearing his fifties, was standing outside his shop by stalls packed with produce. He gave me a warm smile as I approached.

"Hello, young miss! Lovely day, isn't it?"

I smiled back. _Okay Aurelia, let's not mess this up. No asking about human ranches this time around. You want to make a good first impression in Tethe'alla._

"Beautiful," I replied, browsing over the food. I took one of the wicker shopping baskets and began filling it with all of the ingredients we would need to make vegetable stew (it was generally liked by everyone in the group, so I figured it would be a good choice).

Once I was finished, I paid the man for the food and he transferred my purchases into bags. I dipped into a slight curtsy in thanks and then went on my way…my way…right. Back to the inn.

I started back in the direction I came from before pausing once more. But wait, where exactly was the inn? Perhaps I should have listened to Raine before.

Oh well. This wasn't really a huge deal. All I had to do was ask someone for directions, right?

I stopped a woman as she was passing. It was obvious she was quite wealthy, as she wore a luxurious dress of deep crimson and was laden with diamonds. I hesitated a little but said, "Excuse me?" all the same.

She stopped, her thin eyebrow arching up in visible annoyance. "Yes?"

"I'm really sorry to bother you, but could you tell me where I can find the inn?" I asked politely.

"Which one?" she said shortly. "There happen to be several."

This stumped me. "Oh…there is?"

"Quit wasting my time," she snapped, jerking away from me and storming off.

I frowned. Well that was no help. My panic was beginning to surface. So, I was alone in a huge city in an unknown world, separated from my friends who were at an inn, and I had no way of telling _which_ inn because for all I knew there could be fifty of them.

Great. If Sheena hadn't have returned to Mizuho, and Kratos hadn't decided he was our enemy, I'd probably have someone to help me out right about now. It seemed that Kratos was always helping me out when he was still around, but now there was no chance of that. It would probably take forever to find the right inn, and I was tired and sick of walking, so I plopped myself onto a nearby, pretty secluded bench, letting the bag of food fall to the ground without care. Luckily nothing fell out.

I'd been doing well. About dealing with everything, I mean. I didn't have a breakdown when Colette lost her soul, and I didn't fall to pieces when I saw Lord Yggdrasill again. But this one little setback seemed to be pushing me close to my breaking point. Despite having recently had two full days rest, exhaustion was settling on my bones like dust, making me feel heavy.

"Heh, what do we have here?"

I froze at the sinister voice that came from behind me. Great, on top of everything, I was going to get robbed? What a perfect day this was turning out to be.

I had just turned around to direct all of my stress onto this thug when another came up from behind and wrapped an arm around my throat. His free hand clamped across my mouth to prevent me from making any noise – which I definitely tried to. I thrashed and screamed and cursed at him until I thought my lungs were going to explode, but he was surprisingly strong and succeeded in pulling me into an inconspicuous alley. Once there, he threw me onto the ground.

I threw my hands out to break my fall and ended up scraping them on the uneven stone street. Immediately afterwards I scrambled to my feet and pulled my dagger from my belt.

There were three men in the alley with me. All of them had generally the same appearance – rough, scarred, unshaven, and armed. They surrounded me in a triangle, blocking my escape. That is, unless I wanted to cut through them. That option made my stomach uneasy, however.

The one who I assumed was the leader grinned at me. He wasn't entirely unattractive, with shaggy brown hair and a youthful face, but the malice in his smile ruined any chance of that.

"What do you thugs want?" I asked, trying to sound tough.

The leader continued to grin and slowly approached me. I backed away until I was pressed against the wall. He stood uncomfortably close to me and carefully examined my face.

"I'd imagine you're the girl," he said lazily. "Aurelia Nobelle. Am I right?"

I gulped. A single bead of sweat trickled down my forehead. "And if I am? Who are you, anyway?"

"We've been hired to take you in," he explained. He had a quiet voice that I realized always sounded lazy. As if it was so much trouble to merely speak. "A woman named Olivia is paying us generously for the job."

A vicious anger erupted inside of me at the sound her name. "Olivia. You're working for that _bitch?" _I started forward to attack him but he pushed me back against the wall. This guy was a human. I couldn't understand his strength.

"Aren't you feisty? Yes, Olivia is paying us to bring you in. She warned us you'd put up a fight, so she provided us with Exspheres, just in case." His lips pulled into a smile. "I wouldn't fight back if I were you."

Despite his words, I continued to try and fight. I bared my teeth, almost like an animal, and tried to strike out at him.

He grabbed both of my arms and pinned them against the wall behind me. My dagger fell to the ground with a clutter. His face was inches from mine, and I had to fight the urge to spit right in his stupid eye. I figured that wouldn't help my cause.

"You just don't give up, do you?" he drawled. He seemed to be drinking in each and every feature of my face. "You know, I don't think Olivia would mind if we had a little fun before turning you in. Do you?"

My insides turned cold. "I'm sure she'll just want you to go straight to her." My voice was shaking uncontrollably.

All three of them laughed. The leader moved his face even closer.

"I think you're wrong on that one," he said softly. "You're such a pretty toy – it would be a shame not to get to play with you."

I squeezed my eyes shut and tilted my head away from his. I felt like I was going to be sick.

His lips, disgustingly close to my ear now that I'd moved, let out another laugh.

"I hope I don't see what I think I'm seeing."

The new voice came from the end of the alley, the direction my head was turned towards. There stood a young man, probably not much older than I was, with long, red hair that spilled messily from a white headband. His eyes were pale blue, a pretty color set into a face that held features that were both elegant and chiselled at the same time. He had reasonable muscle, and wore an Exsphere on his chest, in the same area Colette wore her Cruxis Crystal. He was, admittedly, quite good-looking, but what made him all the more attractive was that he was potentially about to save me from these creeps.

The leader scoffed. "Tch. Get lost, pretty boy. This is none of your business."

The man raised an eyebrow. "Actually, when a lovely lady is at the risk of being violated by dirt like you, I feel the need to make it my business." He took another step into the alley. "So you can just go ahead and get away from her." His voice was light and good-natured, but I could tell he was serious.

"Boss?" one of the other thugs questioned.

The leader jerked his head towards the newcomer. "Take care of him."

The two thugs ran at the man with knives drawn, fully intent on spilling his blood.

The man sighed. "Come on guys, you really wanna go down this road?" He drew his sword from his belt and just waited for the thugs to reach him. When they did, he countered them easily, barely moving from the spot he stood as he did, and the two thugs were soon on the ground.

The leader's grip on my arms tightened. "Who the hell are you?"

The man stepped over the unconscious bodies and approached us. "A man who realizes that Exspheres don't make you invincible. You still have to be able to fight, you hear me? Now have a bit of sense and let this cutie go, kay?"

"Son of a – "

He loosened his grip for a split second, and that was all I needed. I summoned up every bit of energy I possessed and shoved the creep away from me and started running. As soon as he recovered from his stumble, he lunged after me. His hand grasped the skirt of my dress and I nearly tripped.

The man caught me. He then administered a sharp kick to the thug's face. I heard a sickening crunch as his nose broke. The man then ran his sword through the thug's stomach, all while holding me in one arm. The thug dropped to the ground, and I couldn't tell if he was dead or unconscious.

I let out a shaky sigh of relief. "T-Thank you…"

He made sure I was standing well enough before stepping away. He smiled. "Absolutely not a problem! There's no way I could stand by while a beautiful hunny such as yourself was in danger. Creeps like them deserve to be taught a lesson."

_Well this guy is a little forward._

"Um, sure." Eyeing the bodies around me nervously, I quickly retrieved my dagger and followed the man out of the alley.

My bag of food still lay abandoned on the ground by the bench. I picked it up, inspected the contents, and gave a satisfied nod.

"So you can't be from Meltokio," the man said. He leaned against the wall of the nearest building, crossing his arms as he looked me up and down. "I think I would remember a face like yours."

I cleared my throat. "Um, no, my friends and I travelled here from…um…Sybak." I threw out the first town name I could think of. It was the closest city to Meltokio, as far as I remembered. "Only now I lost track of them, and I was supposed to meet them at the inn, only I don't know _which_ inn, so really I'm just lost and – " I felt horribly embarrassed that I was ranting like an idiot and my voice was shaking, and tears were welling up in my eyes.

"Hey, calm down sweetheart," he said soothingly, placing a hand on my shoulder. "Look, why don't you let the Great Zelos help you find your friends? I know this city like the back of my hand."

I let out a laugh. "Zelos, huh?"

"That's the name!" he said proudly. "Zelos Wilder. I'm sure you've heard of me though, huh?" He winked at me.

My face fell blank. "Um, no, actually. Sorry."

He looked mildly surprised, but shook his head in dismissal. "Oh well, it's cool. Either way, I'm sure I can help you find your friends."

"I would really appreciate that," I said with a small smile.

He grinned, and then shamelessly draped an arm around my shoulders. "Then it's settled! Just stick with me cutie, and we'll find your friends in no time."

"You're pretty outgoing, aren't you?" I asked him. I shrugged away from him, feeling uncomfortable. It wasn't just that he was hitting on me. That wasn't really a big deal. It was something else, something I couldn't really grasp. Like it was trapped behind a wall of fog. "I'm using that word politely, mind you."

He laughed loudly. "Well yeah! With a personality and looks like mine, why wouldn't I be?"

"Wow. You're incredible." I found myself laughing as well, only I was also shaking my head.

"I know."

I sighed. "Let's just go find my friends."

"Sure thing! What do they look like?"

_Well, Colette has angel wings and attacks anything that gets in her way, so that's a pretty good hint…_

"Um, you'll know them when you see them," I said carefully. "That's the best way I can explain."

He nodded. "Sounds good, princess. Let's – "

I cut him off. "Aurelia. My name is Aurelia. Not 'princess'."

"Aurelia…" He smiled slyly. "You've got a bit of an attitude! I like it. Well then, Aurelia, let's get going~!"

I was a little skeptical about letting this guy help me, especially when it seemed like he was more interested in my breasts than my friends. However, he _had_ saved me from those thugs, so he couldn't be all bad. If it meant finding the others, though, I would just have to put up with being annoyed for a little while.

Trying my best to keep my distance, I followed him through the streets of Meltokio.

* * *

I soon discovered that Zelos Wilder was well-known in Meltokio.

More specifically with women.

In other words, he was turning out to be the hugest womanizer I've ever met.

As we searched the city for the others, he was stopped countless times by snooty, high-class women who practically _draped_ their selves over him, even going so far as to call him "Master Zelos". It was sickening, and he gladly returned the attention to each and every one of them. We soon had built up a following of four or five women who hung behind us, giggling and shooting me glares for being so close to Zelos.

I felt the violent urge to draw my spear on all of them. It was when I sighed obviously as he was flirting with some girl in an unattractive hat that he finally noticed my impatience.

"What is it?" he asked, completely oblivious to what he was doing, apparently.

"Not trying to be rude," I began irritably, "as you did recently save me and are currently helping me find my friends, but if you're going to stop to flirt with every woman we come across, it's going to take forever."

The girls crowded around us broke into collective offended murmuring.

"What did that troll just say?" one of them practically hissed. "How dare she talk to Master Zelos like that!"

"What did you just call me?" I said threateningly. I took a step towards her, completely prepared to take all of my frustration out on her, but Zelos stepped in my way. He gripped my arms and pushed me back a couple steps. Either way, I still got the satisfaction of seeing the girl's face turn ghostly white.

"Ladies, relax," said Zelos. "There's no need to fight over me." He turned to me. "Aurelia, I understand you're jealous, but – "

"'_Jealous'?"_ I repeated, laughing in disbelief. "Are you kidding me? No. I just want to find my friends, so kindly save the flirting until _after_ we've found them. Kay?" I plastered a fake smile on my face and added, quite sarcastically, "_Master_ Zelos."

He smirked. "Nice. It sounds pretty good coming from you."

"Or you could completely miss my point. That works too."

"Aurelia!"

My heart leapt in my chest. I whirled around to see Lloyd, Genis, Raine and Colette walking (or in Colette's case, hovering) towards me. Lloyd was waving his hand in the air, looking quite relieved to have found me.

"Lloyd!" I exclaimed. "Thank goodness!"

The group stopped once they got close enough, except for Colette. She kept on going and slammed right into the annoying girl who called me a troll. I couldn't help but smile.

"Hey, watch it!" the girl said angrily.

"Watch where you're going," another girl snapped.

Zelos sighed, as though he were dealing with children. "Now, now, settle down my darling hunnies," he chided before turning to Colette, his eyes filled with "concern". "Hi there, my little cool beauty. Are you hurt?"

I couldn't believe he was hitting on Colette now. She was way too young for him! I resisted the urge to slap him.

Of course, given her current state, Colette said nothing. She continued to stare into space.

"Well!" troll-girl huffed. "Master Zelos himself has deigned to speak to this girl, and yet look how she acts!"

"Just look at her!" another girl sneered. "It's not even festival time and yet she's dressed up in an angel costume. How stupid can you be?"

"Can you believe the _nerve_ of this _hag_?"

This was the final straw for Genis. Hearing Colette being insulted like this, his face turned red with anger, and I could tell it took every bit of restraint within him to keep from conjuring a fire ball right in her direction.

"What did you say?" he exclaimed.

"Genis, let it go," Lloyd said calmly. He shot a smug look at Troll (as I'd now decided her name would be). "She's obviously never looked in a mirror."

"WHAT DID _YOU_ SAY?"Troll practically screeched. "Master Zelos, are you _hearing _this?"

"You're all behaving like children," Raine sighed.

"Now, now, settle down," Zelos soothed again. This didn't keep Troll from sending her sword-sharp glare in Lloyd's direction, but he was back to focusing on Colette. He looked puzzled at her silence. "Are you upset, my little angel? You know, I bet you're as cute as a button when you smile."

Colette still didn't respond. She didn't even look at him. _That_ must have driven Zelos crazy. At least when I was rejecting his advances, I was still paying attention to him. Colette didn't even have the ability to acknowledge his existence.

"Look," he continued. "Don't mind what they said about the costume." He placed his hand on her arm. "You actually look –"

He didn't get the chance to finish. The moment his hand touched her arm, Colette gripped his arm and flung him away from her, as automatically as it would be to breathe. Other than that, she showed no reaction. She continued to stare like it hadn't even happened.

"Colette…" I whispered with sad shock.

"Aaaahhh!" Troll shrieked. "Master Zelos!"

Zelos flew through the air, but instead of crashing to the ground, he landed lightly on his feet not too far away from us. He turned and stared at Colette in shock. "W-Whoa!"

The rest of us, who pretty much saw it coming, instead looked at Zelos. Our shock was over his quick reaction, his ability to land perfectly on his feet like that. I soon remembered he had an Exsphere, which made it more understandable.

Zelos cautiously approached the group again, keeping his eyes on Colette. "W-Wow, that…that was a surprise." He shook himself out and regained his composure. "You sure are strong, my little angel. You certainly startled me!"

"Who…who are you?" Lloyd asked him.

Zelos gave him a once over, looking quite bored. "No offense, but I'm not interested in talking to guys."

"I hate this guy already," Genis griped. He shot a glare at Zelos, which went unnoticed.

"Genis," Raine said warningly.

Speaking was a mistake on Raine's part. Zelos noticed her and instantly took interest. "Ooh, what's your name, beautiful?"

Her facial expression didn't change. "Give me your name, and I shall give you mine," she said, amusement hinting faintly in her voice as she quoted this infamous line.

I burst out laughing at hearing it come from her.

"Hey!" Genis protested. "You copied Lloyd!"

Lloyd frowned, looking slightly offended. "Now that I've heard someone say it, it sounds kind of arrogant…"

"Oh, so you haven't heard of me either?" Zelos replied, mildly surprised. He looked from Raine, to Colette, to me. "So Aurelia, am I right to guess these are your friends?"

I nodded. "Yep, that's right! Anyway, thanks so much for helping me." I did my best to keep my voice free of too much emotion. I was grateful, sure, but I didn't want this guy to get the wrong impression.

"Aurelia, who – "

I cut Lloyd off. "I appreciate it."

Zelos smiled. "You are most welcome, beautiful. I was happy to help." He took my hand and brought it to his lips before I could stop him. I felt uncomfortable, like before, and jerked my hand away.

He looked confused, but before he could say anything Troll was running her mouth again.

"Master Zelos!" she whined. She was obviously just annoyed he was still bothering with me. She approached him and hung off of his shoulder, twirling a piece of his hair around her finger. "This girl _obviously_ isn't interested. Why don't we get out of here so I can show you how much _I _appreciate you?" Her voice was throaty as she failed horribly at sounding sexy. I fought back the urge to vomit all the same.

He smirked at me. "Well, she's just stubborn, but of course I'll join you." With Troll still hanging off of him, he turned to the rest of us. "Well then, I'll see you again, my lovely lady – "

He smiled at Raine.

"– my cute little angel – "

This was directed towards Colette, despite not reacting.

"– my icy princess – "

I stared blankly at him. "What?"

"– and, uh, you other people." His voice lacked emotion, and he didn't even bother to look at Genis and Lloyd at that last part. He winked at me before heading off with Troll and the other demons. I was glad I would never have to deal with them again.

Lloyd shook his head as he watched them go. "What was _that_ all about?"

"What an ass!" Genis exploded, having kept relatively silent the whole time. "He was grinning like an idiot the entire time! What's _wrong_ with that guy!"

"Did none of you notice? He had an Exsphere on him," Raine said quietly.

"He did?" Lloyd stared after him. "So that's how he could react so fast?" He peeled his eyes away to look at me. "Aurelia, who was he? Why were you with him?"

"…I ran into some trouble," I replied.

He was immediately alert. "What? What kind of trouble? Was it the Desians? Or the Renegades?"

I shook my head. "Neither, really. Just some thugs hired by that Olivia woman to capture me. They were human, and there were only three of them, but they had Exspheres so I was overpowered." I nodded my head in the direction Zelos had left. "He saved me from them, and then agreed to help me find you guys since I got lost. His name is Zelos, but that's all I really know about him."

"Olivia…the woman from Luin?" Genis questioned. "What does she want?"

"I wish I knew." My voice was weak. I was tired and hungry, and I was beginning to shake from the combination of the two. "Anyway. Do you mind if we go back to the inn now? I'm so tired."

"Oh right," said Raine. "By the sounds of things, you've had a rough day. I think we all could use a rest. We also need to prepare for the audience with the king tomorrow."

"All I heard of that was 'rest'," I said jokingly. "Please, lead the way."

We headed to the inn. Apparently it had taken a lot of explaining to the inn keeper about Colette's appearance, but Raine somehow managed to get her to accept it because she barely glanced up from helping a customer, who stared at Colette with wide, confused eyes.

Since Sheena was gone, and Raine had to take care of Colette, I was given a room by myself. I was kind of glad for this. I had roomed with Colette before, but the last time that had happened was the night before the Tower of Salvation. Thinking about that night almost brought me to tears. She was so strong, so brave – she really believed what she was going to do would save Sylvarant.

"And now look at her," I whispered to the darkness of my room. Lloyd and Genis had even told me she'd kicked a dog earlier. Colette. Kicking a _dog_. All because it got in her way.

No. There was no way I would be able to sleep in a room with Colette the way she was now. I couldn't handle it.

As I got ready for bed, I found myself sweating. It was a hot night, and despite my thin nightgown, my hair clung slightly to my damp neck and forehead. Normally I would just leave it be, but now that I had nothing to hide…

I tore a strip off of the bottom layer of my nightgown. It didn't really matter, it was long enough. I pulled my hair back and used the strip of fabric to tie it in place. I then yanked open the room's curtains, and pushed the window open. What slight breeze there was, I let it cool my skin.

Even though I was tired, I continued to sit by the window and thought about the day's events. That Zelos…why did I feel so uncomfortable around him? Sure he was a complete womanizer, but he still really helped me out a lot. If it hadn't been for him, I would probably be sitting god knows where while Olivia probably tortured me. I just couldn't figure out why it bothered me so bad.

And then it hit me. All at once I was assaulted with a rush of pent up emotions as the fog that had taken residence in my brain, the haze that had been with me since that night in Luin – it turned to solid glass and shattered, and everything I'd been holding back came spilling out.

The way Zelos flirted with me, the way he was so carefree and upbeat – I didn't want to think it; I felt _awful_ for even suggesting it, but Zelos…

He reminded me of Devin. The flirting was out of control, and Devin was much more polite but…at the same time, they were so similar.

I began crying. My sobs shook my entire body as memories of Devin came back all too quickly for me to handle. Meeting him with Colette in the shop, finding him alive in the ranch, kissing me in the makeshift shelter, telling him about who I really was, meeting his family – and finally, being forced to kill him. Each moment was like a sword, slicing into my heart and adding to my grief.

I leaned my head against the window frame and tried my hardest to stay quiet, but my effort was in vain. All I could do was think about the unfairness of it all. Why did Olivia have to poison him? Why couldn't he have been strong enough to wait? We could have saved him! He could still be alive!

Rodrick and Ella _hated _me. I was sure of it. I took Devin away from them. There was no way they could ever forgive me for that. I was no better than the Desians who took Devin and Ella's mother away.

I could hear Devin's voice in my head. He was telling me to stop thinking like that. That it was his choice, and he was glad I had respected it.

But I was still the one who killed him. Devin was dead, Kratos betrayed us, Colette was soulless, and I'd finally realized just how much Lord Yggdrasill had lied to me. These four facts suddenly hit me with a clarity I hadn't realized before. I was hurting, really bad, and I didn't know what to do. All I could do was sit there, stare out the window, and try to breathe through my tears.

The only hope I clung to was that the king would be able to help us heal Colette. Tomorrow was a new day, and despite how hopeless I felt at the moment, I knew it wasn't going to get me anywhere. I had to focus on the positives.

What few there were, anyway. It sure was easier to be optimistic when Colette had a soul.

* * *

**I sincerely hope I did Zelos justice :)**


	25. Two Worlds, Two Chosens

**I realize it's been months..._again._ I just found this chapter a little difficult to write. I couldn't seem to make myself sit down and write it, but here it is! Now that it's summer, I'll try my best to update more frequently, but you probably shouldn't hold me to that haha :)**

**Anyways! Thank you all for your patience, and enjoy~!**

* * *

I ended up falling asleep in the window seat, so when I woke up the next morning, my entire body was as stiff as a board. The sunlight streamed directly into my eyes, practically blinding me when I dared to open them.

So much for "rest". Between my seemingly unending sobbing the night before, and sleeping propped up like I was, I felt worse than ever. My eyes were dry and burning, and I couldn't move my neck a certain way. Perfect. Meeting the King would be marvellous today, wouldn't it?

I eased myself off of the window seat and got ready for the day. My dress lay crumpled in a heap on the floor, and was covered in stains ranging from dirt to blood. I cringed at the sight. Did we really have to meet the King of Tethe'alla wearing such grungy clothing?

Sighing, I slipped out of my nightgown and pulled the old thing on. Maybe I could go find Zelos again and sweet-talk him into buying me a new outfit.

My heart ached at that thought. Okay. Thinking about Zelos was bad. He just reminded me too much of Devin. I decided to never think of him again, if I could help it.

I ran a brush through my hair, contemplating whether or not I should leave it tied up. While I did like it, I had no way of knowing how friendly people in Tethe'alla were towards half-elves. Seeing as my ears were my only give away, I allowed my hair to fall down my shoulders.

I gave a quick glance around the room as I was ready to leave. Raine had rented the inn out for at least two days, so I left most of my belongings as they were. Not that I had many to begin with.

Anyway, I headed out of my room and down into the inn's main room. Everyone was awake except for Lloyd, and were seated around a table filled with breakfast foods.

"Morning." I took a seat beside Genis and grabbed a piece of toast. I wasn't all that hungry. "I take it Lloyd is still sleeping?"

"You guessed it," Genis sighed. "I wish he wouldn't be so lazy! We really need to go talk to the king!"

As he spoke, I looked around the table, trying to place what was off. Something was different, but I couldn't quite…

"Hey," I said with a frown. "You all certainly look put together."

It was true. Raine and Genis had put on the best clothing they owned which, admittedly, were still pretty worn out. Oh well, it was still better than what _I _had on. Genis' hair was more tame than usual, and Raine had even added a jewelled pin to her hair. Even Colette had been dressed in a cute little sun dress, as the weather was considerably warmer here (I also made a side note that her wings were no longer present).

"That's more than we can say for you," Genis commented. "You're kind of a mess."

"We're going to see the King, Aurelia," said Raine. "It would certainly help to look presentable."

"But this is the only dress I own…" I protested.

"The dress should be fine," she said. She pulled out the chair beside her and patted it. "At least let me do something with your hair."

I hesitated, absently bringing a hand up to touch my ears.

"Don't worry; I've had practice in disguising elvan ears." Her tone was meant to be kind, but I could sense what was behind it.

I got up and sat beside her, turning so my back was to her. She took the length of my hair in her hands and I could feel her twisting the strands around each other in a loose braid.

"Raine. Genis." I kept my voice quiet, despite the room being relatively empty.

"Yes, Aurelia?"

"Just so you know…I've known all along. About…you know. And, well, your secret is safe with me."

I said it so quickly and quietly that I was unsure they'd even heard me. I craned my neck slightly so as not to disrupt Raine's braiding and saw Genis looking at me with immense relief.

"Thank you, Aurelia," said Raine. "That really means a lot to us."

I reached across the table and grabbed a piece of toast. "You know, at the risk of sounding like Colette, I really think you should let Lloyd know. He's known you two _way_ longer than I have. I mean, if he accepted _me – "_

Raine cut me off calmly. "I don't have any doubts in Lloyd. But we've worked hard to maintain a life in Iselia. As of right now, half-elves receive unbearable discrimination. You probably have not been subject to it, given your upbringing, but if word got out that we were not full elves, we would probably be banished from the village."  
"_I _already _am_," Genis piped up.

Raine ignored him and kept talking. "I trust Lloyd not to say anything, but…it's just better if no one else knows."

"I understand," I said with a slight bow of my head.

She rummaged through her bag on the floor until she found a white ribbon. She secured the braid with it before tossing it over my shoulder so I could look at it. It was loose enough so that my ears remained covered.

"There," she said. She gave my shoulder a pat. "At least you look somewhat presentable now."

"Gee, thanks for the compliment," I laughed.

That was the moment that Lloyd finally decided to grace us with his presence. He practically stumbled down the stairs, his jacket unbuttoned and his hair more of a dishevelled mess than usual.

"Good morning, sunshine~!" Genis greeted him.

"Shut up," he sighed. He flopped into a chair and began picking food off of my abandoned plate.

"Lloyd, you're a mess!" Raine scolded. She rose from her chair and crossed to the other side of the table to stand behind Lloyd. She pulled out the chair and lifted him by the arm into a standing position. She then began smoothing out his clothing, buttoning his jacket and attempting to smooth down his hair.

"Hey, cut it out!"

She paused only to speak. "Do you really expect to see the King of Tethe'alla looking like that?"

"Agh, what's wrong with the way I look?"

"You _look_ like you just rolled out of bed."

"I _did_ just roll out of bed!"

"Yes, and is that really the message you want to send to the _King_ of Tethe'alla?"

I sighed as they continued to bicker. I could already tell this was turning out to be a long day.

* * *

Sheena was right; it wasn't hard at all to find the castle. Once we found our way to the main plaza, it was only a matter of following the stairs upwards until we reached the front doors of the castle.

I'd seen the castle from a distance, but up close like this…it really was giant. Not only that, but it was in perfect condition. It had gleaming, flawless white walls and gorgeously colourful stained glass windows. I could only begin to imagine how extravagant it must look on the inside. A not quite as large, but still impressive cathedral was not far away.

Two guards stood in front of the doors, blocking our entrance.

"Who are you people?" one of the guards asked.

"We need to meet with the King," Lloyd replied.

The other guard snorted. "Not going to happen. You think we're going to let a bunch of random strangers in to see His Majesty?"

I pulled Sheena's letter out of my belt. "But we have a letter from Sheena Fujibayashi, of Mizuho. She said he'd want to hear from her."

"That may be true," the first guard said. "However the truth is, His Majesty is ill and is not granting audiences. Now that you know, please leave."

"No! We have to see him, it's important!" Lloyd protested.

"I'm sure you do, but until His Majesty is well, there is nothing that can be done. The Church of Martel is preparing a prayer ritual to pray for His Majesty's recovery, so try asking the priests in the church to ensure that he gets well as soon as possible."

"A lot of good that's going to do," I muttered.

Lloyd sighed and stared at the nearby cathedral. "I guess we'll have to go to the church."

We headed down the steps and towards the cathedral. The bronze double doors sat on a checkered platform beneath a blue overhanging of roof. The inside of the church was fairly huge, with rows of wooden pews and an angel statue hanging on the wall at the front of the room. The lighting was dim, coming from only stained glass windows and candlelight.

"Welcome to the Church of Martel," the pastor greeted us with a bow as we entered. Before we could get our request, his attention fixed to something at the back of the room. "Oh, Presea. The prayers are to take place in the royal chambers. Please carry the sacred wood to the castle."

I turned to see who he was talking to out of curiosity. A young girl, looking to be about Genis' age, approached us. I took a moment to take in her appearance. She had long pink hair that fell across her face slightly, stray strands escaping from her two high side pigtails. She wore long gloves and a dark blue dress that, open at the neck like it was, revealed an Exsphere on her chest, exactly where both Colette and Zelos wore theirs. She dropped the log of wood she'd been carrying (which was huge for her size), and looked up at the priest with emotionless blue eyes.

"…yes." Her voice was monotonous. I was taken back. Given her size, I figured…well I don't know. She certainly didn't sound like a young girl. She sounded…older somehow. I know it's weird to think like that, but there was just something odd about her.

Anyway, she picked up the handle attached to the log of wood and dragged it back the way she came. I noticed the large axe strapped to her back.

Genis stared after her with a goofy expression on his face. "She's cute…"

Lloyd stared after her too, but for a different reason. "That girl he called Presea has an Exsphere too. Is that standard custom over here, or something?"

"Yeah," Genis sighed dreamily. "She's really cute."

Lloyd scowled. "You're not listening at all, are you?"

"You mentioned prayers," Raine was saying to the pastor. "Are you praying for the recovery of the King?"

"Yes. The Chosen and the Pope will pray before His Majesty and receive the assistance of Martel."

Lloyd's face lit up as though with an idea. "You said the prayers will take place in the royal chambers, right?"

"Yes, that's correct, but-"

"Okay, thanks!"

The pastor remained standing there for a moment, staring at Colette, but soon shook his head and left to attend to other matters. Lloyd, meanwhile, turned to us just bursting with his new idea.

"Guys! I figured out how we're going to see the King!"

"And how's that?" I asked, slightly scared of the response.

"We'll pretend to carry the sacred wood and sneak in."

After a bit of thought, Raine said, "I thought you might say that. But how are you going to get the sacred wood from that girl?"

"We can ask her if she'll help us," he suggested.

Genis' face lit up. "What? Really? I agree! That's a good plan! Let's do that!"

I laughed. "You're not completely obvious or anything, Genis."

"Well, alright," Raine agreed. "We'll try talking to her, at least."

Genis, eager to see Presea again, headed outside ahead of us. We hurried after him before he could end up making a fool out of himself.

When we got outside, we saw Presea talking to a fat man in workers' clothes, with an unpleasant face and floppy hair down only the middle of his head.

"Well then, I'll let you get to work," he was saying. "The sacred wood goes to Altamira. You can do it after your current job is done."

"Understood," she replied.

"The plan is right on schedule," he continued. "I must report to Lord Rodyle."

I froze as the man walked away and Presea continued on to the castle. Even after everyone else followed her, I stood there, glued to the spot in alarm.

_Lord Rodyle? That man works for Rodyle? _

It wasn't fear of being discovered that kept me frozen there. That fear was now meaningless. However, that man was clearly using Presea as part of his plan, and that plan clearly involved Rodyle.

Rodyle was one of the Five Grand Cardinals. I could only describe him as a creepy, scheming, traitorous kind of man. He was forever going behind Lord Yggdrasill's back and working on his own plans, thinking that he wasn't under any suspicion. I made a silent decision to warn the others when we got a chance to talk alone later.

"Hey, hang on a sec!" Genis called after Presea. "Um, Presea!"

She stopped at hearing her name, but made no motion to turn around. She waited for us to approach her before turning to look at all of us.

"Could we have a moment of your time?" Raine asked politely.

She didn't reply, but she also didn't refuse.

Lloyd stepped forward. "I'm Lloyd. This is Raine, Colette, Aurelia, and-"

"I-I'm Genis!" Genis blurted, his face turning a deep red.

Lloyd raised an eyebrow. "Genis, why are you all flushed?"

If anything, drawing attention to the fact made Genis blush harder and he continued, "W-Would you let us help you carry the sacred wood?"

Presea stared at him, giving no reaction to his strange behaviour. She blinked once before continuing on her way.

"W-Wait!" Genis cried.

Presea paused once again.

"I'm sorry," Raine began. "I know this is a bit strange, but please hear us out. The truth is, we have a letter we wish to give to the King."

"Our friend's life depends on it," Lloyd continued desperately. "But we have a problem because the King is sick, and refuses to see anyone. It would _really_ help us out if we could carry it for you!"

She stared at Lloyd, her eyes showing no sign that she even understood what he said. She just stood there, continuing to stare at him. It was a little creepy.

"A-Are you listening?"

She gazed at him for a second longer. "Understood." With that, she continued on her way to the castle, leaving the wood behind. Genis looked from the wood to the girl.

"Um, Presea?"

"Please carry that."

"Oh, okay! Leave it to us!" Lloyd hurried over to the wood, Genis close behind. They knelt down on either side of it and began to lift.

Only they couldn't. Even with their combined efforts, the wood didn't budge.

"Oh my g…w-wait! Wait a minute!" He called after Presea. His voice was cracked with strain. "Argh, this thing is heavy!" Both he and Genis lost their grips on the immobile wood and fell backwards.

Not even a sigh passed through Presea's lips as she patiently returned to us and grabbed the handle of the wood, sliding the log across the stone path with ease.

Lloyd rose to his feet, his head hung in shame. "I've…lost all confidence as a man."

"Me too," Genis sighed.

We followed Presea to the front gates of the castle. The guards gave us questioning looks as we approached.

"Who are these people?" one of them asked Presea. "You usually come alone, Presea."

"We're here to help her," I said tentatively. I was surprised that the guards didn't recognize us, but they probably got a hundred people a day trying to enter the castle. "Orders, you know."

"Today is…special…" Presea droned in agreement.

He looked surprised at hearing Presea talk, but after exchanging a look with the other guard, he nodded and waved us through. The two gave us suspicious looks as we passed, but said nothing more and shut the doors behind us.

The first thing I did as I heard the slam of the doors was take in our surroundings. The main entryway was also the throne room apparently, as two ornate thrones sat beneath gorgeous stained glass at the far end of the room. Red and white banners hung from the high ceilings and pillars, and plush, red carpet ran to the thrones, as well as off to the side, which led to other areas of the castle. A huge, crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling.

"Well, we managed to make it inside…" said Lloyd. He let out a breath and gazed around the room.

"What do we do with the sacred wood?" Genis questioned.

"Leave it here," Presea replied.

"Okay," said Lloyd. "Now then, let's go look for the royal chambers."

"What will you do, Presea?" Genis asked her nervously.

"Yes, sending her alone _would _be suspicious," Raine agreed. "Let's have her come with us."

"Would you do that for us?" Lloyd asked her.

After a moment of thought, she gave a single nod in response.

I clapped my hands together. "Okay. Then it's settled! Let's get going."

We set off through the castle, choosing one of the side halls to explore. We debated splitting up, but realized that without Presea, the other group could easily be arrested if caught.

The hall led to a complex area of doors and stairs. Stray servants and guards passed by us, but seeing Presea with us erased any suspicion. That probably wasn't so smart on their part. We all looked pretty roughed up. For all they knew, we could have been holding Presea against her will. Oh well. It was certainly convenient.

Presea seemed to have some idea of where she was going. We climbed set after set of stairs until we came to a balcony overlooking the throne room. A burly guard in green and silver armour stood guarding a set of crimson and gold doors. He stiffened as we approached.

"Hey, you." His voice was deep and threatening. "Who gave you permission to come here?"

Lloyd hesitated before saying, "We brought the sacred wood, but then we were asked to aid with preparations for the prayers…"

"It was an order from the Pope," Raine added much more smoothly.

"The Pope? Just a moment. I'll ask."

I let out an involuntary hiss as he turned to open the doors to the royal chambers. Great, the Pope was in there!

"Sorry about this!" Lloyd said before delivering a sharp blow to the back of the guard's head. He fell to the ground with a grunt.

I had a feeling he wouldn't be getting away with any of this stuff if Colette had a soul.

We pushed our way through into the royal chambers. The room was large, with blue drapes and carpet with a huge bed in the middle. A number of people surrounded it. A plump man with a curled moustache under a fat nose, holding a golden staff– the Pope, I assumed. Several priests stood at his side. A young woman in an elaborate dress held a fan in front of her face, a gleaming tiara resting on her long, flowing gold hair. An older man with flowing brown hair and beard stood next to her proudly in equally elaborate robes. The last person –

I thought I was going to vomit as I saw the last person.

"What's going on?" the Pope demanded angrily.

"Huh? It's you people." Zelos raised his eyebrows in surprise at seeing us.

Lloyd recognized him. "Ah! You're the one we met in –"

"Chosen, do you know these people?" the Pope asked him.

My jaw dropped. "_What?" _I instantly regretted my outburst, but I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

"Well, I dunno if I'd say I know them." His bright eyes flitted across the group. "Just what are you people doing here?"

Raine stared at him, only sounding mildly surprised as she said, "So_, you're_ Tethe'alla's Chosen."

"_What?"_ Genis and Lloyd both exclaimed.

"_He's _the Chosen?" I gaped. I thought back to when he saved me from those thugs. _That_ was certainly proper Chosen behaviour, but…the flirting with every girl he meant? The cockiness? He was so different from Colette in every way! _How_ could someone so…_obnoxious,_ actually be the Chosen One?

Zelos frowned slightly. "What do you mean, 'Tethe'alla's'?"

The Pope's eyes widened in alarm. "Are you…are you people from Sylvarant?"

"Yes, we are," Lloyd replied.

The woman gasped and drew back. "These people are from the declining world?"

"Princess, have no fear," Zelos said gently. He turned to Lloyd. "Um, what's your name?"

"Lloyd."

Zelos rolled his eyes slightly. "Okay, 'Lloyd', for what purpose have you come here?"

"Aurelia?" Lloyd motioned to my belt. Of course, this caused Zelos to train his eyes on me, his features lightening but still suspicious of the group from Sylvarant.

"We have a letter for the King," I said quietly. I tried my best not to look at him as I looked for the letter and held it out to him. "It's from Sheena, of Mizuho."

Zelos perked up. "Sheena? What's your relationship with Sheena?"

I lifted my eyes. "You know her?"

"Sheena?" This came from the man with the beard. He looked alarmed to hear of her name.

"Your Majesty!" the Pope exclaimed, as though forgetting the apparent King stood there. "Please forgive us for causing a disturbance in your presence." He gave a deep bow.

"Lloyd…" said the King. "Please, give me the letter."

Lloyd took the letter from me and handed it to the King. "Here it is."

The King stared down at the paper, looking contemplative. "People of Sylvarant, please excuse me while I read the contents of this letter."

The Pope motioned for one of the priests. "Pastor, show them to the Crimson Chamber."

"Yes, Your Eminence."

Reluctantly, we followed the priest out of the chambers and down the many flights of stairs. We were put into a room that lived up to its name – every inch of the room was decorated with different shades of red. It looked like sleeping quarters for important guests. All I knew was that the angry color was putting me on edge. Frying my nerves.

We stayed in that room for a long time. We stood and sat around for at least an hour and still, no one walked through the door to get us.

"They're making us wait a long time," said Lloyd. He sat on a red ottoman at the end of the bed. His feet tapped against the floor impatiently.

"They may be preparing to kill us," Raine commented. "To them, Colette is an obstacle."

I shot her an angry look. "Raine! How can you just say things like that?" I crossed my arms nervously and leaned back against the wall. What if they _were _planning to do that? Would Zelos just let them do that even after saving me? Was Sylvarant such a threat to them?

Genis looked at Presea worriedly. "But if things turn out like that, what will become of Presea?"

"We'll have to find some way to let her escape," said Lloyd. He punched a fist into his other hand.

"I'm sorry for dragging you into this, Presea…" Genis sighed.

Presea, who stood apart from the rest of group, turned her head and looked at Genis. Her expression was unreadable.

The door opened at the Pope walked in, followed by two guards. Zelos strolled in beside them.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, travellers from Sylvarant," the Pope said. There was something I didn't like about his voice. He reminded me of Remiel, which immediately set off warning signs in my head.

"So you read the letter?" Lloyd questioned.

Zelos nodded. "You want to use Tethe'allan technology to save the Chosen from your side…right?"

Lloyd looked at Colette, who stood close to Presea. "Colette has lost her soul. She'll lose her life as a human if she stays this way."

The Pope's expression didn't change. He looked at Colette with a sense of distaste. "But as long as the Chosen lives, our world teeters on the brink of destruction."

My heartbeat sped up. I didn't like the tone of his voice.

He raised his hand and the guards readied their weapons and began making their way to Colette.

"It's just like Raine said…" Genis gulped.

Lloyd reacted instantly and jumped up. "Wait! You need to listen to what we-!"

"I don't want to hear it!" the Pope snapped. "Seize them!"

The two guards closed in on Colette. Her angel instinct immediately took over and she knocked both of them back with either fist.

"Damn, they can't even scratch her!" the Pope cursed.

Zelos smirked and crossed his arms. "See? I told you. They have Exspheres – of course they're powerful."

"Hmm, you're not as dumb as you look," Genis noted. He gave Zelos a look that was half approval, half mocking.

"Impudent little brat…" he muttered back.

As always, Raine paid little attention to the spat. She turned to the Pope with a thoughtful look on her face. "What would you say to making a deal?"

The Pope looked skeptical. "A deal?"

"Colette lost her soul because she was being reborn as in angel in order to save Sylvarant. In other words, she has completed the journey of regeneration. However, as long as she does not become an angel, Sylvarant will not be saved."

"I see," said Zelos. "So as long as we save the Chosen, then Tethe'alla will be saved as well."

The Pope's face pulled into a condescending smirk. "That means you'll be abandoning Sylvarant," he said, obviously thinking she didn't realize this.

"I don't care," she said instead. She stared back at him, stone-faced.

"Professor!" Lloyd exclaimed in shock. "What are you saying?"

She looked over her shoulder at her student. "Our priority right now is to save Colette, is it not?"

"But…abandoning Sylvarant…" Genis stared at his feet, looking quite torn.

"I guess that'll have to be fine," Lloyd said with a sigh.

Genis looked at him. "Can we really just decide something like that so easily?"

"Right now, the most important thing is to save Colette," Lloyd replied. He squeezed his fist, looking at Colette with resolution flickering in his eyes. "That's why we came all the way to Tethe'alla, right?"

"Is there internal discord?" the Pope questioned.

"N-No," said Lloyd. "We'll do as the Professor suggested and make a deal. Please tell us how to save Colette."

Zelos, who looked as though he'd been thinking it over, finally spoke up. "Say, Pope. If these guys don't go back to Sylvarant, then it doesn't matter if they're alive or dead."

_Gee thanks, oh great Chosen One._

"Either way, they can't complete the regeneration ritual," he continued. "So I'll go along and keep tabs on them. That should be fine."

I felt my face form into a grimace. Oh jeez, please no. There was no way I was going to be able to deal with having him around us all the time, especially after my little episode the night before. I had told myself I'd never see him again, and now he was going to _join_ us? No. There was no way the Pope was going to allow such a clearly irresponsible womanizer to –

"If you insist, Chosen One," the Pope replied through clenched teeth.

Dammit.

"Then you'll save Colette, right?" Genis asked hopefully.

"Well, we'll do what we can, anyway," he replied cheerfully. "I swear on my name as Zelos Wilder, the Chosen."

"I'll give you permission to travel Tethe'alla, but only under the Chosen's observation," the Pope said grudgingly. I could tell he wasn't happy about this arrangement and that he would have just rather killed us and put an end to it quickly. However, Zelos was likely a much higher rank than him and was able to do what he wanted.

With that, he and his guards left the room.

Lloyd didn't look thrilled either. He stared at Zelos reluctantly before giving a sigh. "I guess we don't have much of a choice…okay, that's fine."

"Then it's settled!" Zelos clapped his hands together. "I have to go get ready, so we'll leave tomorrow, kay?"

Raine nodded. "That should be acceptable. We must gather our belongings as well."

"Back to the inn then?" I asked her for confirmation. I did my best to suppress a sigh. There was nothing wrong with resting another day, but I was worried about Colette. Now that I knew we were getting help, I was anxious to get going.

Zelos looked over at me, as if noticing me for the first time, and I immediately regretted talking.

"'The inn'?" His nose wrinkled at the thought. "There's no way I'm letting a cutie like _you_ stay at some common inn. You can stay at my place if you'd like." He dropped a wink.

"The inn is fine, thank you very much," I said shortly. My face reddened at the obvious implications behind his words. "Besides, I'd prefer to stay with my friends."

Zelos looked at the rest of the group. I was willing to bet that Lloyd and Genis had nothing to do with his decision when he nodded and said, "Okay, well they can come to! I'll have someone go get your things."

"You're persistent," I said bitingly. "But you also don't have to be so generous. Really, you're doing enough as it is."

"Hey, don't mention it!" he laughed. "You'll stay in my mansion for the night, have a nice hot meal, get yourselves cleaned up – I'll even find some replacements for those raggedy clothes you're all running around in. How about it?"

Before I could refuse again, Raine cut me off. "That would be lovely, thank you very much."

I suppressed the urge to glare at her. Looking around, I saw Genis and Lloyd practically drooling over the thought of meals and baths, equally hot. It looked like I was alone on this one.

Zelos grinned. "Alright! Now, before we get going, I think some introductions are in order. Putting aside these two guys…"

As if too emphasize his point, he turned his back on Lloyd and Genis so that he only faced Raine, Colette, Presea and I.

"This gorgeous beauty is Raine, right?"

He pointed at Raine, who nodded in confirmation, unfazed by his "compliments".

"And then this cool cutie here would be Colette."

Colette stared blankly back at him.

"I obviously remember you, my icy princess," he went on as he turned to me. He smirked as my face shifted in annoyance. "Oops, I mean Aurelia. And then who's this little one?"

He was talking about Presea, who had stood staring almost as blankly as Colette through the whole meeting.

"Presea," Genis replied, the pink blush attached to her name forming on his cheeks. "She helped us sneak into the castle."

Zelos looked mildly surprised. "The little one isn't from Sylvarant?"

"Ozette," Presea quietly told him.

"Ozette?" Zelos exclaimed. "That village out in the boondoc – ah, I mean, out in the forest?" He gulped after correcting himself and quickly regained his composure. "Oh, that's so sad! You're being used by these uncivilized barbarians!"

"Who are you calling uncivilized barbarians!" Lloyd burst out from behind him angrily.

Zelos merely smiled in response. "Hey, hey, hey, don't get mad. Lloyd was it? Especially not after all the trouble I'm going to have to go through to contact the Imperial Research Academy for you."

Lloyd calmed down a bit at hearing this. "You can do that for us?"

"Sure can! Using the Imperial Research Academy requires permission from the King, but if the Great Zelos speaks, His Majesty listens."

"Since you're going to be keeping tabs on us, I certainly expected that much," Genis jabbed.

"You're an obnoxious brat, you know that?" Zelos sighed.

_Well then, this is turning out to be a fantastic friendship._

* * *

"_Wow, this looks delicious!"_

Lloyd's cry rang out through the spacious dining hall as he dug into the huge plate of steaming food in front of him.

Zelos' mansion certainly was nice, as much as I hated to admit it. It obviously wasn't as big as the castle, but its size was still very impressive. The dining hall we currently sat in was home to a long, well-polished wooden table which held enough food to probably feed a whole village back in Sylvarant. A beautiful crystal chandelier hung from above us and large windows overlooking a vibrant garden.

"If he eats like that, he won't have room for breakfast tomorrow," Genis commented to me. We both watched in amusement as Lloyd scarfed down his food like a wild animal.

"He might not even _make _it to tomorrow," I added as he began choking on a mouthful of food.

"I trust the meal is satisfactory?" Zelos' butler, Sebastian, asked from his place by the door.

"It is very good," Raine replied.

Lloyd made a grunt in agreement.

"How come the "Great Zelos" isn't joining us?" I asked drily. He'd shown us around when we first arrived, and then left us to explore a bit. Raine had taken advantage of his library, while Lloyd, Genis and I sat around and talked. Thankfully, Zelos had other matters to attend to. He didn't try to speak to me again, which was a huge relief, and now that dinner was being eaten, he was still nowhere to be seen.

"Master Zelos is making…necessary preparations for the journey," he explained. "He shall meet with you all again later this evening, briefly. In the meantime, I have been given orders to inform you that the many bathrooms in the mansion are available for your use, and your belongings have been delivered to your rooms. New changes of clothing will also be delivered to your rooms later this evening. If you need assistance finding your rooms, please ask one of the maids to guide you."

Out of that whole speech, only two words really rang clear:

_New clothing._

I picked at the hem of my torn and bloody dress. It would be so nice to wear something _other_ than this grungy old dress. I wouldn't have to worry about it falling apart in the middle of a battle. I looked at the others, especially Lloyd, and realized they could certainly use it too.

We finished up our dinner and then everyone went off to find their rooms. The size of the mansion was intimidating, with so many halls and turns that I was sure I was going to end up lost. How did everyone just automatically know where to go? Did Zelos or Sebastian tell us, and I just wasn't listening? I really needed to start paying attention.

I sighed and stopped in the middle of the hallway. It was lined with doors, but I didn't want to just go barging into random rooms. I may not have liked Zelos very much, but I still didn't want to be invading his privacy.

As I contemplated where I should go, a maid rounded the corner. All of Zelos' maids wore the same dark red dresses (which were pretty short, I might add), as well as white aprons and bows in their hair. This maid had short brown hair and was holding a pile of clean sheets. Her face dropped slightly when she saw me.

"Oh, you're one of Master Zelos' guests." Her voice was a tad cold.

"Um, yes…my name is Aurelia," I told her. "I'm having trouble finding my room. Sebastian said that I could ask a maid for help?"

"He did." It was more of a statement than a confirmation. "And Aurelia, you said? You're the one Master Zelos saved in town yesterday, aren't you?"

I stopped myself from groaning. He had probably bragged to all of his lady friends about his "bravery", and a few of his maids no doubt fell into that category.

"That's me."

Her expression suddenly shifted. A small smirk formed on her lips, her eyes narrowing slightly. "I would be happy to help. Just follow me." She turned on her heel and headed back the way she came.

I bit my lip, wondering if I should actually follow her. I didn't trust that smug look on her face…

_She's a maid. What is she going to do? Stop being so paranoid._

I trusted my inner voice and followed after her. She led me down a hall to a large wing, with several doors spaced far apart. It must have been some kind of guest quarters. We walked down the hall before stopping at one of the doors close to the end.

"Here it is," the maid said happily. "Master Zelos specifically ordered that this room be given to you."

"Special treatment," I muttered. "Great." Ignoring her weird change in attitude, I managed to give her a small smile. "Thank you, I appreciate it."

"Mhm." The smile didn't leave her face as she turned around and walked away.

I rolled my eyes. Then I turned to the door. I was kind of nervous about opening the door. What was so special about this room that Zelos wanted me to have it?

I yawned. Did it really matter at this point? All I wanted was a nice hot bath and to go to sleep.

I opened the door, light from the hallway spilling into the dim room. I jumped about a foot in the air when I heard a startled shriek come from the direction of the bed. I shrieked in response.

Light erupted from the lamp on the bedside table to reveal Zelos, squinting up at me as his eyes adjusted to the brightness. He was propped up on one arm and I realized all too late that he didn't have any clothes on. His bottom half, thankfully, was obscured by a mess of sheets.

That, and by the pretty blonde girl who was currently straddling him. She had grabbed a fistful of cloth to cover her upper half when I'd opened the door.

I stared at the scene in shocked silence. My face drained of color, and then I'm fairly sure that every drop of blood rushed to my face in a mortified blush as realization and horror sank in.

"Oh, hey Aurelia," Zelos said with a smirk, once he realized it was me. "As you can see, I'm a little busy right now…"

"T-This isn't my room…is it?" I stammered. I wanted to look away, _desperately, _but I found myself quite frozen.

"Of course not," he replied casually. The girl on top of him was trying to squirm away, but he held her in place. "It's mine, actually."

"Right. Um. I…bye."

I found the will to move my legs and turned and ran out of the room. I practically slammed the door shut behind me and fast-walked down the hallway. I distantly heard a door open and close far behind me, but I wasn't about to slow down to see what it was.

"Aurelia!"

"_Go away Zelos,"_ I hissed under my breath. I was _furious _at him for doing this. He _wanted_ to embarrass me, didn't he? He probably purposely told the maid to lead me there, just so he could make some kind of sick joke out of me seeing him…indecent. Ugggh, what a jerk! How in the world could someone like that be the Chosen?

"Waaait."

I sighed and slowed my pace, allowing him to catch up to me. Seeing as I wouldn't turn around, he walked in front of me, both to keep me from moving and so that he could see my face.

"What." I didn't phrase it as a question, but more of a statement.

He recoiled a bit. He'd at least had the decency to put some pants on, but his feet and chest were bare. "Hey now, why so touchy? It isn't my fault you barged in on such an intimate moment."

"Isn't it?" I bit back. "Because the maid who brought me there said you picked it especially for me."

He raised an eyebrow. "Huh, that's news to me. Tell me, did this maid have short brown hair and an awesome rack?"

I made a disgusted face.

"I mean…a large chest," he corrected.

"Short brown hair, yes," I sighed. "I wasn't too occupied with looking at her chest."

"Sounds like Lisa," he said with a nod. "Look, this little stunt wasn't my fault. Lisa has always been a bit of a jealous one. She didn't look too happy when she heard about me saving you." He sighed dramatically. "It's hard being popular. So many have to suffer because of it."

I rolled my eyes. "Um…sure." Was it possible to take back my breakdown from the night before? This asshole was appearing to be less and less like Devin than I thought.

"Anyway," he continued. "I'm sorry that happened. I promise it wasn't my fault." He winked. "Trust me; I would have made sure I was alone if I wanted you to stop by my room."

"Gee, thanks," I said flatly. "Can I go now?"

"Certainly! Unless you'd like to join us…" He leaned a bit closer to me as he said this.

"You're very forward for someone who I only met yesterday," I informed him. I took a step away from him.

"Well we're going to be travelling together for a while," he replied. "We won't be strangers forever."

"Lloyd and I aren't strangers," I said sweetly. "That doesn't mean I'm going to sleep with him. Although, he probably has a better chance than you."

Before he could think of a witty remark, I turned and walked down the hallway. I'd find my room on my own this time, without the help of some stupid maid.

* * *

Once I finally did find my room, I was definitely impressed. It wasn't nearly as large as Zelos' room (to be honest, I should have realized it was his room when I saw the size of it), but it was still bigger than any inn room I'd stayed in. It had a huge bed, as well as its own bathroom! That was a great surprise. I took a nice long bath, washing away all of the dirt and blood, as well as anger and embarrassment towards Zelos. I felt so much better after that. I wrapped myself in a nice, plush bathrobe and headed back into my room.

All of my things had been delivered, like promised. There was also a pile of new clothes. I sat down and sorted through them.

There was a new dress, almost identical to the one I was wearing right now, but made with stronger material. There was a new pair of boots, again, stronger and similar to my boots right now. There was also a combo of a light, long sleeved, dark green shirt and black pants, along with a dark brown jacket. As much as I loved my dress, something lighter would be easier to move around in sometimes. To top it all off, a sturdy new bag to hold everything in.

_Well, at least he's generous. _I gave a short laugh and shook my head.

Now it was time to go talk to the others. Unfortunately, that also meant Zelos would be there, if he could stop fornicating long enough to find the time. At least he would have some clothes on this time. Ugh…

I changed into my night gown and wrapped the robe around me again. I then headed off to find the others. They were all sitting in a common room, gathered around a fire place.

"You didn't have to get all dressed up!" Genis laughed as he took in my nightgown and robe.

I stuck my tongue out at him. "I didn't figure this would take too long, plus it's late." I plopped myself onto the couch next to Lloyd. "So, what are the plans for tomorrow?"

"The Imperial Research Academy is in Sybak," said Zelos. As I'd hoped, he'd had the decency to dress himself before coming down here. He gave me a pointed look. "You should feel right at home, shouldn't you, Aurelia?"

I blushed. "Yeah, right."

"Going to the Imperial Research Academy is fine," said Raine. She still wore her reading glasses and held a book in her hand, so she obviously hadn't moved very far. "However, could we have you free Presea? Surely you don't need to keep tabs on her as well."

Zelos thought about it a moment. "Nah. The Imperial Research Academy and Ozette are both on the continent across the sea. We can just drop her off when we go."

"I-I agree!" Genis spoke up. "That's a great idea!"

"Is that okay with you, Presea?" Lloyd asked her. Aside from Colette, she was the only one standing, staring absently into the fire.

"Yes," she replied.

"Thank-you," Raine said to Zelos.

He smiled at her. "Anything for you, my cool beauty~!"

She breathed the slightest hint of a sigh and kept talking. "How far of a journey is it to Sybak?"

"Well, first we have to cross the Grand Tethe'alla Bridge. The journey there should take about three or four days. Then half a day to cross the bridge – "

"Half a day?" Lloyd exclaimed. His eyes practically bulged out of his head.

Zelos paused. "Well, a little under half a day. Maybe four hours actually. I doubt you have bridges that large in Sylvarant, but it _does_ cross a large expanse of ocean."

Lloyd didn't respond, but instead got to imagining just how large a bridge like that could possibly be.

"And then Sybak is another day from the bridge," Zelos finished.

I looked at Colette. She was in front of the window, her back turned to us. Not being able to see her face, I could almost imagine she still had a soul.

"Do you really think they'll be able to help Colette?" I asked quietly.

"Don't worry, princess," he said in what was probably supposed to be a comforting voice. It _would _have been, if not for the annoying nickname. "The Imperial Research Academy is home to some of the finest scientists and researchers in Tethe'alla. This should be a piece of cake for them."

"Let's hope it's that easy," said Raine. Her face was dark, and she too stared at Colette. It was one of the rare times I saw her looking sad. In fact, Lloyd, Genis and I were all silent in that moment too.

These researchers _had_ to know something. If they didn't, it didn't leave us with very many options to consider.

_This could be our last hope._

* * *

**Reviews are lovely, and so are you, my readers :)**


	26. Of Key Crests and Cruxis Crystals

**Well, here's the next chapter! I have to say I wasn't as happy as I could have been with the last chapter. Reading through it again, it seemed really forced. Ohhh well.**

**Also, up to this point I've mostly just been using an online game script for the game dialogue, but I've recently decided to use Let's Plays on YouTube as well, because the script excludes skits. I realize I haven't really included many of the game's skits in this story, precisely because they're not in the script. However, they add so much more to the game, so I'm going to start trying to include more! It would probably be easier to just have a file on my actual game, but it's easier if it's just all on my laptop to look at.**

**Anyways, with that little rant over, please enjoy! :)**

* * *

"Everyone ready to go?" Lloyd asked the group.

We all stood in the entryway of Zelos' mansion, about to head out on our journey to Sybak. Everyone was sporting new, yet similar versions of their old clothes, looking much cleaner than before. All in all, it looked like a fresh start to our new journey in Tethe'alla.

"Yes, let's get going!" I said.

"Yes, please do," I heard someone mutter, followed by some snickers. A group of maids stood by the stairs, watching the departure of their Master Zelos. Among them was Lisa, and I instantly knew who had made the comment.

Before I could say anything, Zelos spoke up. "Okay, my loyal workers. I'm gonna be heading off. Lisa – "

She looked up hopefully. "Y-Yes Master Zelos?"

He pointed at her, winking. "Remember, you'll be on bathroom and garbage duty while I'm gone, kay?"

"W-_What?"_ Her face dropped. She gaped at him, her expression a mix of disgust and shock.

"Thanks, you're the best!" He blew her a kiss before turning back to the rest of us. "Alright, so we going or what?"

I looked from Zelos to Lisa. Lisa was giving me the dirtiest look I could possibly imagine, while Zelos just gave me a small smile. I couldn't do anything but look surprised, which seemed to strike Zelos as funny because he started laughing. This obviously didn't make Lisa any happier, but, I'll admit, it made me feel a little bit better. Maybe Zelos wasn't _so _intolerable.

Several minutes later we were on our way through the city. It took us a while to actually get _out_ of the city, because Zelos was continually stopped by different girls giving him "parting gifts". I actually shouldn't complain about that though, because some of these gifts were rather useful such as gels, life bottles, and other medical supplies. Some of them even offered up gald, which Zelos had no problems in accepting. Anyway, the point is that we were able to leave the city without stopping for supplies because of all of these generous gifts.

_Huh, I guess Zelos' womanizing can come in handy, _I thought sarcastically.

When we finally made it out of Meltokio, Noishe was waiting for us at the gates. Lloyd cheerfully greeted him with hugs and pats on the head.

"What the hell is that thing?" asked Zelos.

"Lloyd's 'dog'," Genis explained. "Or at least that's what he likes to call it."

"It somehow followed us over from Sylvarant," I added. "Though none of us really know how."

Zelos continued to stare at him. "So that thing is considered _normal_ in your world?"

Genis and I exchanged a look before shaking our heads. "Nope."

"Uh, okay."

As we continued on our journey to our first stop, the Grand Tethe'alla Bridge, Zelos began asking us questions of what Sylvarant was like.

"It's _definitely _not like this," said Lloyd. "Meltokio alone is bigger than any city in Sylvarant, plus it's way nicer. All of those rich people and nice buildings…everyone seems so content here."

"It's because this is the flourishing world," Raine reminded him. "The people of Tethe'alla don't have to worry about the Desians, or the loss of mana."

"Unless Cruxis gets a hold of Colette, right?" Zelos questioned.

Her eyes suddenly focused on her footsteps. "Yes."

He let out a long breath. "Man, sounds like you guys have it pretty rough over there. Glad I'm on this side."

"Thanks for your concern," I scowled.

"Hey, I'm just saying!" he replied hastily. Seeing how he'd hit a nerve with pretty much everyone on the subject of Cruxis and Sylvarant, he cleared his throat and changed direction. "So, um, you guys travelled with Sheena?"

Lloyd immediately relaxed. "Yeah, Sheena's great! Hopefully we can meet up with her again soon."

"Ahh, I know that look, bud," he said wisely.

Lloyd looked confused. "Huh? What look? What do you mean?"

Zelos draped an arm around his shoulder, putting him in a headlock. "It's okay, bud! You don't have to lie to me. I know the look of someone who's been stricken by Sheena's many…" He trailed off, his smile turning into more of a smirk as he searched for the right words. "…charms."

"'Charms'?" Lloyd repeated. He was beginning to frown. "I don't understand…"

"I'm guessing you're using 'charms' as a synonym for 'breasts'?" I chimed in.

He turned away from Lloyd to give me an offended look. "Aurelia, how could you even suggest something like that of me?" He looked back down at Lloyd. "Listen, bud, I know it's easy to fall for Sheena's beauty and fiery personality, but I think it's best to warn you that her heart yearns for another man."

Genis snorted. "Please tell me you're not talking about you?"

"Of course it's me!"

"Something about the way she talked about Tethe'alla's Chosen tells me that it's _not_ you," I snickered.

"Of course it's me!" he repeated, this time with more emotion. "Sheena just hides her feelings behind harsh words because she's hurting deep down. She knows that she can't be my only one and that breaks her heart!"

I exchanged a look with Genis that said we were just going to drop it.

The rest of the day consisted of a lot of such banter, until the sun began to set and we stopped to set up camp.

"A rich boy like you probably doesn't do much camping," Genis remarked as Zelos laid down his bed roll.

"That's what you think, brat. I happen to make many business trips around Tethe'alla that require camping so I have much experience with it."

Genis just rolled his eyes in response.

Once we were all settled in, I made a quick supper for everyone. After that, we all just kind of sat around the fire and talked. We told Zelos a little more about Sylvarant, and how life in a declining world was. I had to admit, even though Colette's lack of presence brought a slight chill to the otherwise warm fire, Zelos was surprisingly good at keeping the mood light and breaking all of the awkward silences.

On the other hand, Presea was strangely quiet. It was almost like she gave off the same, lifeless vibes as Colette, except she could actually process thought and what was happening around her. She only spoke when asked a question, and usually Genis was the only one who (desperately, I might add) tried to get her to speak.

"Oh!" I said aloud, catching everyone off guard. "I almost forgot." I turned to Presea, who had remained unaffected by my outburst. "Presea, that man you were talking to yesterday, he mentioned another person named Rodyle. Do you…happen to know him?"

She continued to stare at the fire before slowly lifting her dull eyes to meet mine. "The man I spoke with is named Vharley. Rodyle is his business associate."

I frowned. "So…Vharley is sort of like your boss, right?"

She thought about it a moment. "I suppose he is."

"What is it, Aurelia?" asked Raine, sounding concerned.

"Rodyle is a Desian," I told her. "One of the Five Grand Cardinals, actually. He's in charge of the Remote Island Ranch off the coast of Palmacosta."

Lloyd's eyes grew wide. "Uh-oh. So that means he's here in Tethe'alla if this Vharley guy knows him, right?"

"Yes, but we shouldn't have to worry about him _too_ much," I assured him. "Rodyle may be a Grand Cardinal, but he isn't exceptionally strong. His mind is probably his biggest strength. It's best for us to just be cautious, that's all."

"Let's not forget about Olivia, either," Raine reminded. "The fact that you were attacked by bandits hired by her means that she's here as well. She is certainly a threat, especially if she intends on taking you and Lloyd."

I did a sort of half-groan. "Right. We'll have to keep a lookout, then."

Not long after that, it was time for bed. As I lay awake in my bed roll, staring up at the moon, I couldn't help but notice that Presea had remained exceptionally quiet through the whole conversation. But, then again, it was difficult for her to be quieter than she already was.

Sighing, I snuggled into my blanket and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

The next few days passed by uneventfully, and we soon arrived at the Grand Tethe'alla Bridge. As we approached, I couldn't help but let my mouth hang open as I took in the size of the thing. A vast expanse of crystal blue water stretched out before us, with the bridge stretching across to the not even visible continent on the other side. I hadn't imagined it _nearly_ this big, despite seeing pictures of it during my studies back home. Just…_wow._

"Whoa, that bridge is huge!" Lloyd exclaimed. All of us stopped to take in the enormity of it.

Zelos continued to walk until he stood in front of us. He then turned to face us, spreading his arms out in grandiose fashion.

"Listen and be amazed, bumpkins!" he announced. "This is the greatest drawbridge in the world. It connects the continents of Altamira and Fooji. Its control system incorporates 3,000 Exspheres." He gave a big, proud grin and waited for our amazed reactions.

I was amazed alright, but definitely not in a good way. Horror swelled in my stomach as I took in the huge number. "N-No…" I felt like I was going to be sick.

"Three…three thousand…" Genis practically gagged.

Lloyd stared up at the bridge with sorrow in his eyes. "Three thousand…human lives…" He clenched his fists and looked down at his own Exsphere.

Zelos looked baffled as he took in our suddenly grave expressions. "Hmm? What? What's wrong? What's with those faces?"

"I suppose we'd better tell you," Raine said solemnly.

"Tell me what? What did I say?" He helplessly looked around the group for some kind of explanation.

She took a deep breath and proceeded to tell him the whole story about how Exspheres were really made. The whole time, no one else chimed in. It was a difficult story to tell, and Raine was probably the only one who could tell the whole thing while maintaining her composure.

When she finally finished, all traces of a smile were gone from Zelos' face as he took in what he'd been told.

"That's…that's a pretty sobering story. Is it really true?" He absently touched the Exsphere on his chest.

"Do you think we'd make up something like that?" Lloyd muttered.

I noticed that Presea looked rather uncomfortable as well.

Zelos allowed it to sink in for a couple more seconds before putting a smile back on his face. "Oh well, even so, it's not like the dead are going to come back to life at this point. It's always best to look on the bright side of things!"

"Seriously?" I said between clenched teeth. I really had to resist the urge to reach out and slap the grin off his face.

Raine just shook her head. "I can't tell if he's a positive thinker, or just doesn't care about anything…"

"Since we're on the subject, you and Presea both have Exspheres too," Lloyd began. "Does everyone have Exspheres in this world? It didn't sound like it from the way Sheena talked about them."

"Hmm, nope," Zelos said thoughtfully. "I got this from these guys that call themselves the Renegades. They distributed quite a few of them to Sheena, and the Papal Knights and such."

_The Renegades…_

"And Presea?" Genis questioned.

"Beats me." He shrugged and looked over at Presea. "Well, little one?" He sighed when she didn't respond. "Wow, she's so talkative!"

With that, we started across the bridge. Still feeling heavy from talking about Exspheres, we walked for a while without talking. I gradually got used to the idea of walking over open water, and eventually forgot we were walking on a bridge. After about a half hour, Zelos decided to break the silence.

"Well then, I'd like to take this opportunity to officially decide everybody's nicknames!" he announced cheerfully.

"What are you talking about, all of a sudden?" Lloyd asked, giving him a weird look.

He went on like Lloyd hadn't spoken. "You can call me, Mr. Zelos~!"

"Can we not," I threw in under my breath.

"Presea will be 'Little One', Colette is 'Miss Angel', Aurelia is, naturally, 'Icy Princess', Lloyd is 'Hey You' and Genis is 'Brat'-"

Genis narrowed his eyes. "Gee, you must have spent a long time thinking up Lloyd's and mine."

He waved his hand dismissively. "Don't mention it. And then, Raine will be 'Gorgeous Ultra-Cool Beauty'."

"I don't want to be called something like that," Raine protested calmly.

He looked surprised. "Huh? Then, 'Her Highness'. Kind of ties in with Aurelia's but we can make it work."

She sighed. "Zelos, can't you come up with something a little more normal?"

"The Professor is the Professor," Lloyd said simply. "What else would she be?"

"Hmm? Hmm…Professor…" He drew the word out slowly, testing how it sounded and looking thoughtful. "That does have a nice ring to it. The bewitching female teacher…hehehe."

"Oh fine, whatever, I don't care anymore," she said in defeat. She rubbed at her temple in frustration.

He clapped his hands together. "Okay then! Professor Raine it is~!"

"Whatever…"

"How come _she_ gets a normal nickname?" I muttered in protest.

We continued walking across the _enormous _bridge. For the remainder of the day. By the time we _finally_ reached the other side, it was now nightfall. We set up camp not far from the bridge.

"Hey Lloyd."

Lloyd looked up from his plate to find Zelos looking at Colette and Presea, who were sitting next to each other. Well, Colette was standing, and Presea was sitting anyway.

"Yeah?"

"Looking at the two of them like this, don't you find they look kind of similar?"

Lloyd blinked and looked over at them. "You think so?"

"They hardly ever smile, you know?" He heaved a dramatic sigh. "A girl's just not the same without a pretty smile!"

I watched Lloyd grow offended at this remark. "Colette can't even smile if she wanted to. So don't say things like that!"

Zelos looked surprised at Lloyd's outburst. "I…I'm sorry. Sheesh, touchy, touchy."

Lloyd shook his head and shot to his feet. He stormed off into the darkness.

"Lloyd!" Raine called after him. When he didn't respond, she sighed. Her eyebrows were knit together in both concern and anger. "He's going to end up dead if he continues to run off like that."

"He's probably just going to brood by the water," Genis joked.

Raine gave him a look. I guessed that that wasn't a very reassuring comment.

"Noishe followed him," he added. "Don't worry, sis, Lloyd will be fine. If that stupid Chosen didn't make such ignorant comments, then we wouldn't have a problem!" He glared at Zelos.

"Hey, I'm just trying to lighten the mood here!" the Chosen defended. "I didn't know he was going to get so worked up!" Despite trying to cover his own ass like he was, I knew that Zelos actually was still shocked from about it. I thought that I might as well smooth things over in Lloyd's stead.

"Don't worry about Lloyd," I told him. "He didn't mean to lash out like that."

"Aw, worried he hurt my feelings?" Cue his signature, flirtatious grin.

"I think your ego is big enough to cushion the blow," I said with an eye roll. "No, I just don't want you to think badly of Lloyd. He just…this whole thing with Colette has been hard on all of us, but especially him. The two of them are childhood friends. It's hard to see her like this."

"Seems like more than that to me," said Zelos. He shot a look towards the angel in question. "He seems pretty passionate about getting her back to normal. Sounds more like he's got a thing for her, if you ask me."

"You think so?" As much as I was trying to be serious, I couldn't help but crack a smile at that. It had to have been bad if Zelos noticed it and Colette didn't even have a soul.

"Definitely."

I looked at Colette, remembering all of our memories from Sylvarant. The way she looked up to Lloyd so much – it was so obvious, to everyone but the two of them.

"I think so too," I admitted. "My point is, you don't know Colette, and so it's easy for you to be pretty nonchalant about this whole thing. That's fine, just…be careful with it. I know Lloyd doesn't appreciate it."

He nodded. "Okay, I'll keep that in mind.

"Just as long as you know." My eyes scanned the darkness to see where Lloyd had run off to. "I'm going to go see if he's okay."

"Sounds good~! Tell him I'm sorry and whatever."

My face dropped. "Wow, Zelos. That's really sincere."

"I know!" His smile was big and proud – clearly my sarcasm had gone unnoticed. "And maybe when you get back, you and me could go for a little walk by the water and…" He trailed off. There was no need for him to finish for me to know what direction that sentence was going in.

I sighed and stood up. "Good-bye Zelos."

It turned out that Lloyd hadn't wandered _too_ far from camp. Genis had been right – he was brooding by the water, Noishe at his side. I walked over and nudged him with my foot.

"Hey."

He looked up at me. "Oh, hi Aurelia. Sorry about that outburst back there…"

I shook my head. "Don't worry about it. Zelos says he's sorry for being an asshole."

"He said that?"

"Well…the sorry part anyway," I said with a laugh. I succeeded in cracking a smile on Lloyd's face as well. "Mind if I sit?"

He patted the ground beside him in response.

I settled onto the ground and stared out at the water. The Tethe'allan moon was almost full, and it cast its bright reflection onto the ocean in front of us. The bridge loomed to the left of us, a shadowy titan covered by the night.

"Are you okay?" I asked him quietly.

"Yeah, thanks…" He stared out at the water, his hand absently running across Noishe's fur. The "dog" lay on his other side with his head in his lap. "It's just hard. Normally Colette would be the one to cheer me up when I'm sad, but…she can't."

"I know what you mean. I haven't known Colette for nearly as long as you have, and it's still weird not having her here." I paused and realized that it sounded like she was dead. I hastily tried to correct myself. "I mean, not _here, _here. You know what I mean?"

"Yeah." He let out a long breath. "Maybe I should be glad Zelos is here. He certainly knows how to keep things lively. We haven't had much of that without Colette."

"He sure is optimistic," I agreed. The silence stretched on between the two of us. Who was I kidding? I wasn't good at this whole cheering people up thing. That was always Colette's job. Well, maybe I could try.

"Look, Lloyd," I began. "We're going to get Colette back to normal. Okay? We will. I promise."

"What if the people at Sybak don't know anything?" he wondered. He lifted his face to look at me and I saw that he actually looked…scared. He was really scared for Colette. "What will we do then?"

I frantically searched my brain for a response. "Well…then…um…" I snapped my fingers as a solution popped into my head. "Then I'll go after Lord Yggdrasill myself and _make_ him change her back!"

Lloyd stared blankly at me. "Um…what?"

I gave a determined nod. "Yeah. I'll do whatever it takes to help Colette."

"You're going to take on the leader of Cruxis all by yourself?" Lloyd asked me. He was starting to smile a bit.

"Yeah! No weapons, just my two fists. I'll knock some sense into him." I put on my best tough face.

While the thought of taking on Lord Yggdrasill with nothing more than my bare hands terrified me to my very core, it was worth it to see Lloyd's face break into a full grin at how ridiculous it was.

"Yeah?" he said challengingly. "And what happens when he uses his angel powers to turn you into Aurelia dust?"

I pretended to be grow fearful at the very thought, which didn't require much pretending as it would turn out. "Well you see, that's when we hand over Zelos in exchange for Colette's soul back. Everyone wins!" I paused and considered. "Except for Zelos because he'll be soulless, and me because I'll be dust on the floor."

Lloyd started laughing. Success! Perhaps I wasn't so bad at cheering people up after all.

"Then it's a plan," he said decidedly. "You'll single-handedly defeat this Yggdrasill guy."

"Haha, yeah," I said. My sudden discomfort was probably obvious in my voice.

Lloyd clearly noticed, too. "Would you really be able to do something like that?"

"Of course not," I replied shakily. "He's an all-powerful angel. He'd crush me."

"You know that's not what I mean." I could feel his gaze on me, but I kept mine on the water. This conversation had taken a fast turn. "Despite everything that's happened, he still pretty much raised you right?"

I nodded silently.

"Well it's gotta be hard, right? Aurelia...you don't have to do this if-"

"Lloyd, it's fine." I looked at him to show in my eyes that I wasn't lying. "Really. Fighting against the Desians and Cruxis…it was really hard for me at first. Almost heartbreaking. But…I know it's what's right, and that's all that matters. I made my peace with this a while ago, back in Sylvarant. It's the only way." I gave him a smile. "Devin and Colette really helped me with it."

He searched my face for any signs that I wasn't being honest. When he didn't find any, he relaxed slightly, satisfied I was going to be okay.

"Well!" I stood up and stretched my arms out. I had to stifle a yawn. It _was_ getting pretty late. "I'm going to head back to camp. Are you coming?"

He shook his head. "I think I'll stay here for a bit longer. See you soon."

"Okay." I was still a bit worried, but I figured it would be best to leave him alone. After internally debating a moment longer, I started to head back to the fire.

"Aurelia…thanks."

The sound of my name made me stop. I looked over my shoulder to find Lloyd still looking at the water, but it had undoubtedly been him.

I smiled. "Goodnight, Lloyd."

* * *

A few days later, we arrived at the city of Sybak. According to Zelos, this city was largely made up of students attending the academy, which was how it earned its nickname, the University Town. It was a huge contrast to Meltokio in terms of color scheme. Where Meltokio was bright and polished, Sybak's buildings were made with muted grey, blue and brick colors. Strictly business, as the students and scientists probably couldn't be bothered to worry about appearance. Still, I couldn't help but reminisce about Sylvarant. It was certainly dreary, however the buildings were in excellent condition. The sound of the ocean was present, as the city sat on the shore.

I was gripped by a strange sensation as we passed through the city gates. The town felt faintly familiar. I knew that was weird to think, but the feeling came and left before I could even think twice about it.

Presea stopped dead in her tracks as we passed through the gates. I had never seen emotion on her face through the time she'd been with us, but I could have sworn she looked uncomfortable.

"I hate this city…" she murmured. "Hurry…to Ozette…"

The fact that Presea was showing displeasure in something got Genis all worked up.

"I-I'm sorry, Presea," he said unhappily.

"Wait just a minute, little one," Zelos consoled her. "We'll be done in a jiffy. Right, Lloyd?"

Lloyd nodded apologetically. "Yeah…I'm sorry."

She didn't respond to anyone's apologies, other than nodding once.

We followed Zelos through Sybak, as he seemed to know where we were headed. Like he had said, many of the people we came across indeed looked pretty studious, wearing school uniforms and lab coats; carrying large amounts of books and school supplies. We were definitely the most colourful bunch walking around.

We headed to a big building by the water that was almost certainly the academy. It was a large brick building much the same colors as the rest of the city. We walked through the front doors into a big entrance hall, and the first thing that caught my eye was the large, intimidating skeleton of a dragon on display in the middle of the hall. That thing was _huge. _There were also many hallways branching off from the entrance, as well as a staircase leading to a second floor hall.

A man with blonde hair and a white lab coat stood by the skeleton, examining it thoughtfully. Zelos got his attention.

"Yo! There should be word from Meltokio."

The man looked up, his face lighting up in recognition as he saw Zelos. "Ah, Chosen One! We've been waiting for you. Please, come this way."

We followed the researcher down one of the halls until he lead us to a room. Inside, it appeared to be a sort of office, with several desks scattered with papers and notes. Upon one of the desks sat what looked to be a hologram projector. The researcher, whose name we learned was Jamison, went behind the desk and began fiddling with the projector's controls.

"Upon receiving the report of Colette's symptoms, we found our attention on research data regarding the Chosen's Cruxis Crystal," he informed us.

"Hey, that's right," I realized. "Zelos, you don't wear your Cruxis Crystal, do you? You just have a regular Exsphere."

Zelos nodded. "Since there's no need for me to regenerate this world, I lent it to these guys for their research." He stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Well now. So my crystal _was_ useful. When Colette returns to normal, I'll need to make sure she thanks me generously."

Jamison ignored Zelos' scheming and continued, "Base on the research we have executed on the Chosen's Cruxis Crystal, we have come to a conclusion that Cruxis Crystals could possibly be an evolved form of Exspheres," he explained. "For example, both Exspheres and Cruxis Crystals are lifeless beings."

Only Raine seemed to understand the significance of this. "What did you say?"

"Life…less?" Lloyd's forehead was wrinkled in confusion. "What?"

"Lifeless beings," Raine said again. "How should I put it…? Basically, Exspheres are alive, though not in the same way we are." She looked to Jamison. "Would I be correct in saying so?"

"Yes. Both of these crystals are like parasites, fusing with other life forms."

"Parasites…" Lloyd mused. "That's not a very pleasant thought…"

"When this happens, the mana within the body loses balance and goes out of control without a Key Crest."

"So is that Exspheres without Key Crests turn people into monsters?" Genis wondered. I was sure he was thinking about Clara and Marble.

"Exactly," Jamison replied. "In other words, since Cruxis Crystals possess the same qualities as Exspheres, we surmise that Colette is suffering from a parasitical infection by the Cruxis Crystal."

He made it sound so normal. Could Colette's condition really be that easily explained?

I could practically hear the cogs whizzing in Raine's brain. "I see. In which case, the ritual of releasing the seals may be promoting the fusion with the Cruxis Crystal. Fascinating…"

For once, it was Lloyd scolding Raine. "Professor, don't talk like that after all of the bad things that have happened to Colette…"

"Then, if she had a Key Crest, she'd return to normal, right?" Zelos summed up.

"Yes," said Jamison. "She should be able to freely control the Cruxis Crystal if she had a Key Crest."

"A Key Crest, huh?" Lloyd pondered. "I wonder if we could get one somewhere."

"I remembered seeing a pretty cluttered-looking shop outside," I said. "It looked like the man was selling all kinds of things. Maybe we should go take a look?"

"The bazaar," Jamison clarified. "Yes, that would be a good place to search. I shall wait here for your return."

With that, we headed outside to the bazaar to start our search. It was run by a seedy-looking man in a green hat, wearing a large travelling backpack. He kept his beady eyes on us as we searched, making me feel _really_ uncomfortable. It was like he was Tethe'alla's version of Koton.

Zelos wrinkled his nose as he searched over the items. "What is this place? All he's selling is junk…" he muttered to me.

I shushed him.

At least Raine seemed to be enjoying herself. She was fawning over all sorts of random inventory, gushing things like, "It's marvellous! This is just marvellous! Ohhh, this is ancient magitechnolgy carbon!"

"There she goes again," Genis grumbled.

"Argh, come on, please!" Lloyd snapped at everyone. "Look for something that looks like a Key Crest!" As soon as the words left his mouth, he spotted something. "There! It's a Key Crest!" He held the object up triumphantly.

The shopkeeper narrowed his eyes at him. "What? You want that piece of junk?"

"Yeah!" Lloyd replied. He was practically bouncing. "How much?"

Sensing Lloyd's excitement, the shopkeeper donned a devious smile and thought a minute before saying, "Hmm let's see…10,000 gald."

"Seriously?" I said angrily.

"Taking advantage of people in need…" Lloyd gave his best guilt-trip voice.

"This is a business, after all." The shopkeeper didn't seem too bothered.

"Okay," Zelos said suddenly. "Call the one responsible for this bazaar right now. I'll make sure he can't do business anymore."

"W-Who do you think you are?" the shopkeeper demanded nervously.

"Ooh, bad question," I said, letting out a small giggle. This was Zelos' moment to shine.

Which he did. He puffed his chest out, glaring down at the man. "You've got some guts to be ignorant of the great Zelos, the Chosen." He winked discreetly at me, causing me to stifle another laugh.

The man's face drained to the color of Raine's hair, and his eyes grew probably bigger than my head. It took him a couple minutes to remember to breathe before he choked out the words,

"Chosen? Please, take this junk-!" He cut off, realizing that was probably another bad thing to say. He quickly snatched the Key Crest out of Lloyd's hands. "Uh, I mean, I humbly offer this up to you, o great Chosen One, so please, forgive me!"

Zelos took the Key Crest and tossed it to Lloyd. "Good, good," he said happily. "I like your attitude. I'll remember you."

The shopkeeper couldn't do anything but laugh nervously.

"Thanks, Zelos," said Lloyd as we walked back to the academy.

"It was nothing," Zelos said modestly. "It was for my cute Colette."

I started laughing. "Wow, his face when he realized who you were was absolutely priceless. Serves him right."

"Glad you enjoyed it," he grinned at me.

* * *

About an hour later, we all sat in the main lobby of the academy, waiting for Lloyd to finish working on the Key Crest.

I felt jittery all over. This was it. If this worked, then Colette was saved. I really hadn't expected it to be so simple, but now that it was this close I was practically bursting at the seams. Gah, what was taking Lloyd so long?

I paced around the room, trying to find something to hold my attention and distract me. I ended up looking at a series of portraits on the wall, assumedly of prominent people who had contributed to the academy.

One portrait held my attention immediately. It was a photo of beautiful young girl, probably my age. She had long black hair, her eye color not really obvious as she was squinting from a large smile. The girl simply radiated confidence, intelligence, and happiness.

I couldn't help but stare at her. Something about the photo just drew me in. In the back of my mind, something was working furiously to try and figure out why this girl looked so familiar.

Before I could figure it out, Lloyd emerged from the hallway and my attention immediately snapped back to the matter at hand.

"Okay! I think this will do," he announced. He looked sadly at the object in his hand as he approached Colette. I wondered why before realizing what it was – the necklace he had made her for her birthday. The one that he'd broken by accident.

"I didn't think I'd be giving you your birthday present like this," he said quietly. His voice was uneven. "I've attached a Key Crest to the necklace I made. It's late, but…it's my present for you."

With that, he placed the necklace around Colette's neck. She stayed perfectly still as he attached the Key Crest to her crystal. Her red eyes didn't seem to register anything that was going on, however she had a strange alertness to her, if that made any sense.

With the job done, Lloyd took a few steps back. "Colette…? Can you hear me?" He searched her face for any signs of recognition.

"How is it?" Genis asked hopefully.

Lloyd stared at Colette, who stared blankly back. "It doesn't seem to work…" Indeed, I didn't see any change at all.

"What now?" I asked quietly, copying Lloyd's tactic of hiding a tear-filled voice.

"How about asking Dirk for help?" Raine suggested.

"But Dirk's in Sylvarant," Genis reminded his sister. "And the Rheairds are out of fuel!"

Lloyd thought it over. "Maybe the people here at the academy might know of a way…"

"Hey, hey, hey! Wait just a moment!" Zelos exclaimed frantically. "Aren't you people forgetting something? I'm here to keep tabs on you! I can't just let you go back to Sylvarant!"

Lloyd rolled his eyes. "When then, just come along with us, o compassionate Chosen One."

"What? Are you serious?" Zelos did _not_ look happy at the thought of leaving bright and happy Tethe'alla to slum around in dirty Sylvarant.

"Oh, come _on, _Zelos," I said, annoyed.

"You're kind to girls, right?" Raine asked.

"Yeah, it's to save Colette," Genis went on. "You'll keep quiet about it for us, right?"

Zelos looked around the group, seeming quite torn before sighing in annoyance. "Great. How am I supposed to snitch after hearing _that?_"

"Okay then!" Lloyd clapped his hands together. "Now, all we need is fuel."

I froze as I heard the sound of armour clinking heavily together and footsteps thudding against the floor. A group of guards wearing armour identical to that of those in Meltokio suddenly swarmed around us, blocking any chance of escape. They all held their long halberds at the ready. Dammit, what now?

"Chosen, we heard what you said right now," one of the guards informed Zelos. His armour was more impressive than the others, his weapon more deadly. I assumed he was the leader.

To my surprise, Zelos didn't look one bit worried. "Awesome. Your point?"

"We hereby declare you and your companions to be traitors attempting to destroy Tethe'alla," the leader declared. He sounded _way_ too smug about it too. My guess was that these knights didn't get along too well with the Chosen.

While I was filled with absolute _panic,_ Zelos still seemed more annoyed than anything else.

"Hmph, well that was perfect timing, Hatfield," Zelos said, faking an impressed tone. "Why, if I didn't know any better, I'd almost say you were spying on me."

Hatfield shrugged. "By the Pope's orders. We are to watch you for suspicions of plotting against the throne."

"HAH," Zelos let out a flat laugh. "_I'm_ the one who's plotting against the throne? Now that's amusing. Please, make another joke. I could use a good laugh."

Hatfield didn't bother indulging Zelos. He started barking out orders to the other knights. "Restrain them and take a sample. Don't touch the angel. If you approach her carelessly, she'll kill you."

Before I knew what was happening, one of the knights roughly grabbed my arm and jabbed a needle into it. He hardly even looked for the vein. He then punched some buttons on the small device in his hand.

"Ow!" Lloyd cried out. "What are you doing?"

"Criminals undergo biological tests before they are arrested," Zelos boredly told him. "It's because of the caste system here. Some half-elves don't look any different than humans. It's necessary to detect them."

I felt my skin crawl at the way he said "half-elves" like it was some kind of foul word. I couldn't help the glare that shot towards him. He noticed, giving me a strange look.

"S-Sir! We found a match!" I heard one of the knights announce.

Huh, that's weird. It wasn't the one restraining me. Then who could he be-?

_Oh shit. No. There was no way._

Sure enough, Genis and Raine were being roughly pushed forward for Hatfield to inspect.

"Genis! Professor!" Lloyd shouted. He fought violently against his restraints but to no avail.

"So, you're half-elves!" Hatfield sniffed as though he'd been shown a couple of sewer rats.

"…half-elves?" Zelos repeated. There was that awful tone again. "Is that true?"

"That's right," Raine said, refusing to meet anyone's eyes.

"Raine!" Genis yelled in alarm.

Raine shook her head. "There's no point in trying to hide it now."

"These pathetic half-elves have engaged in shameless caste deception," Hatfield spat.

"What did you say?" Lloyd exploded. 'The Professor and Genis are _much_ better people than you! Who cares if they're half-elves?"

"Lloyd…" Genis said softly, clearly touched by his words. Even Raine looked a little misty-eyed.

"I don't know what it's like in your world," Zelos began, "but over here, half-elves are at the bottom of the caste system."

"Half-elves guilty of crimes are all sentenced to execution without exception," Hatfield agreed.

"That's insane!" Lloyd growled.

Hatfield waved his hand. "Take them away."

As Genis and Raine began to be shepherded towards the front doors, I remembered a very important detail. _I _was a half-elf too! Why didn't that knight get a reading on me? Was it the same reason other half-elves couldn't properly sense my mana? That wasn't fair!

In my panic and outrage, I began struggling against the knight holding me. "Wait! You can't do this!"

"It is the law," Hatfield said emotionlessly. Well, unless you can call arrogance an emotion, because he had plenty of that.

"Then take me too!" I shouted. "I'm a half-elf too!"

"Shut up," the knight behind me snapped. He hit me sharply on the back of the head. "Your readings came up human. The devices are never wrong."

"But they are!" I continued to protest as Hatfield shook his head and motioned for the knights to take us away. "Look at my ears if you don't believe me! You have to take me to!"

"I said _shut up."_ The knight behind me jabbed me in the back with his spear. I cried out and gritted my teeth together in anger as I felt blood trickle down my back and down my legs. I started crying tears of frustration as Genis and Raine left my sight and my voice went unheard.

* * *

After leading us down many halls and turns, Lloyd, Zelos, Colette, Presea and I were shoved into a room in the basement. Jamison had joined the knights, who explained to him the "crimes" we had committed. It was funny how quickly the once helpful man turned on us. The others, from what I heard, were headed back towards the bridge.

Several researchers looked up in astonishment as we entered. I recognized all of them immediately as half-elves.

"Who's there?" one of them asked nervously. The girl was quite pretty, having greenish blue hair tied up in a bun and wearing glasses. The other researcher was a man with green hair just above his ears, causing them to stick out prominently.

"Don't speak to us, half-elf," one of the knights warned her. "Be quiet and continue your work."

"They are criminals," Jamison informed the girl. "Hold them here until we return for them." With that, we were left alone with the two of them.

I took a moment to look around the room. It was dimly lit and cluttered with research supplies including desks, bookshelves, strange machines lining the walls, and a large tube in the corner. Were the half-elves shoved down here and forced to work in such bad conditions? I could barely even see the people in front of us.

The girl eyed us disapprovingly. "Criminals…if you've had the good fortune of being born human, don't throw it away like that."

"But we haven't done anything!" Lloyd angrily protested.

"Well you _did_ try to go back to Sylvarant," Zelos casually reminded him.

"S-Shut up." With that, Lloyd turned around to face the door. I assumed he was looking for a way to break out.

"Try to keep quiet," the girl uttered. "We have work to do." She turned her back on us and the two returned to the table.

Presea, who had been hiding behind Lloyd slightly, retreated more into the shadows. Colette didn't show any signs of improving, and with Lloyd checking every inch of the door's surface, that left me with no one to talk to but Zelos. Not that I was doing much of that.

"Quite the show you put on back there," he brought up. "What was that all about?"

"I wanted to save Genis and Raine," I said shortly. "If I had gone too, then maybe we would stand more of a chance."

"But what were you thinking? You're not even a half-elf…" He raised an eyebrow at me in confusion.

"Yes I am," I snapped, and without much thought, lifted my hair so he could see my pointed ears.

If I wasn't so incredibly pissed off at him, I might have laughed at his shocked expression. "W-_What?_ But…but the knights…"

"Yeah, I'm a freak. Nothing new to me." I glared at him. "Not that being a half-elf is much better, right?"

He didn't seem to know what to say. He didn't even try to use some stupid nickname on me. "Aurelia, I-"

"Whatever," I huffed, pretty much stomping away from him.

The girl half-elf turned to glower at me. "I thought I told you to be quiet."

"I'm sorry," I muttered. "By the way, it's really dark in here. How can you even see?"

"Our eyes are accustomed to it," she replied. She was starting to sound annoyed.

I shook my head. "Well, it's not good for your eyes. Let me help." Before she could really say no, I conjured up a fireball in my hand. The room immediately grew much brighter, letting off much more light than was given from the grimy lanterns and blue-tinted computer screens.

The girl squinted. "Ah, thank-you." Her eyes did a quick onceover before resting on Presea in the corner. Her eyes grew wide as she took a few steps towards her. "Presea…?"

Although no emotion registered on her face, I could tell Presea was frightened. She backed up against the wall. "Ah…get away…"

"Presea!" the girl exclaimed. "You're Presea! Why are you here?"

"You know Presea?" Lloyd asked, turning around to see what was going on.

The girl faltered. "Ah…I…well she…"

"A half-elf in the Imperial Research Academy is acquainted with a human child?" Zelos said in disbelief. "That's strange."

Lloyd cocked his head to the side. "Why?"

"I told you, half-elves are treated like garbage in this world," Zelos explained. He recoiled slightly when he saw how angry I had suddenly become. He ducked his head slightly and finished, "The half-elves that work here at the academy never leave their labs…ever."

"That's insane…" Lloyd said in shock.

"Completely unfair," I agreed bitingly.

"Let's put that aside for now," Zelos said rather hastily. "How does a half-elf that can never leave here know Presea?"

The girl looked far from comfortable replying to him, but after a couple moments she said, "This child is my team's research sample."

"'Research'?" Lloyd repeated. "What kind of research?"

The two half-elves exchanged a brief glance before she continued. "Research to manufacture Cruxis Crystals inside the body."

"You can make Cruxis Crystals?" Lloyd asked in shock.

"How is that even possible?" I wondered. My current anger was eclipsed by burning curiosity and alarm.

"It is possible," she told me. "Theoretically, they are no different than Exspheres. By allowing them to slowly feed on a human body-"

Lloyd and I exchanged an outraged glance. The two of us clearly understood what she was saying.

"W-What?" he interrupted. "That's the same way the Desians made Exspheres!"

"What?" She blinked at him. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm saying, how can you treat people that way?" His anger was quickly escalating.

"I could ask you the same thing," she said coldly. Her informative tone quickly dropped as she turned angry. "How can you humans treat half-elf lives the way that you do?"

"I treat them the same as everyone else! There's no difference between the lives of humans and half-elves!"

"_I'm _a half-elf," I told her. "Our friends are half-elves too, and if we don't do something they're going to be killed! Lloyd would never discriminate against someone for being a half-elf!"

She eyed me suspiciously. I knew she didn't believe in me being a half-elf, but she didn't openly question in. "Well, if you're actually telling the truth, he is a one in a million case because half-elf lives are worthless to humans. Everyone knows it."

"_He isn't from Tethe'alla."_

Everyone began looking around in alarm at the unknown voice. Well, I say unknown because we couldn't see its source; however it sounded very familiar to me.

Sure enough, a sudden cloud of smoke erupted in the air and there was Corrine, doing a flip in the air and landing in front of the half-elf girl. She gave a startled shriek just as another cloud erupted, this time clearing to reveal raven-haired, purple-clad, very well-endowed ninja assassin.

Sheena dusted herself off before continuing, "He's a strange on who was raised in Sylvarant with half-elves and a dwarf."

"Sheena!" Lloyd cried out happily. "How did you know where to-?"

"I'll explain later," she said quickly. "Genis and Raine are being taken to Meltokio. If we go after them now, we should be able to save them!"

"Are you planning on running away?" the girl challenged,

"Are you going to try and stop us?" Sheena asked, equally returning the challenge.

"They're going to save their half-elf best friend," Zelos said to her. This time, the emphasis put on the word was not quite so negative. "What are you going to do, Miss Half-Elf?"

"I…I won't let you trick me," she said bravely. "Despite what you said before, there's no way a human would save a half-elf."

"But Kate," the other half-elf finally spoke up. "I did hear that they arrested two half-elves up above."

The girl, Kate, fell silent. She still looked torn as to what to believe.

"There's no time," Lloyd said urgently. "If you're going to get in our way, we're just going to have to fight you!" He placed a hand on one of his swords to show he wasn't kidding.

"Fine," she said after thinking it over. "I'll let you go if you promise that once you've saved your half-elf friends, you will come back here. If what you've said is true…" I saw her eyes fall on Presea, who continued to stare at her fearfully. "I will release Presea from her experiment."

"You promise?" Lloyd asked.

"I swear upon the name of the Goddess Martel," Kate replied honestly.

This seemed to be enough for Lloyd. "…okay. Now then, how can we get out of here? That door is locked tight."

"Come over here. There is a secret passage." Kate motioned towards a set of metal cabinets on the far wall. She slipped her hand underneath her desk, triggering a hidden button that caused the cabinets to part and reveal a hidden staircase. "You can escape to the surface through here."

As Lloyd thanked her, Sheena continued to impatiently urge us to leave.

"Hurry up! We need to get to the bridge!"

Lloyd guided Colette to the passage, while Presea and I followed behind. Zelos was the last to follow, though he stopped to gaze at Kate. He looked thoughtful.

"By whose order was Presea's experiment carried out?"

"I…I can't say…" She seemed flustered suddenly.

"The Pope then," Zelos said, almost as though she'd plainly told him the answer.

Her uncomfortable silence confirmed it.

"Zelos!" Sheena snapped when she realized he hadn't moved yet. "We need to _go, _now!"

"I know, I know! Sheesh!" He huffed an impatient sigh and left Kate behind. As we walked past me, I couldn't help but notice the troubled look on his face. Zelos? Troubled? Whatever it was, if it had Zelos troubled, then it couldn't be good.

* * *

…**I'm happy with how this chapter turned out. I've been pretty distracted with Final Fantasy VII lately, between playing it, reading a buttload of fics and getting tons of ideas for fics of my own, I'm glad I pushed through and updated this.**

**Anyways, leave a review if you'd like. Hope you're all enjoying your summers~!**


	27. A Lifetime of Teaching

**I wanted to get this up sooner, but my computer was broken for a couple of days and I almost lost it! I would have cried.**

**Anyway, this one is longer than usual, but it strays from the plot at a couple of points so I wanted to make sure I got lots of plot in.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

The secret passage that Kate had shown us led into a waterway under the streets. At least it wasn't a sewer, although having to climb up through a manhole in the streets _did_ give me my doubts. Along the way, we caught up with Sheena and explained to her how everything went so far.

"Wow, it looks like I missed a lot," she said as she took it all in. She cast a worried glance in Colette's direction. "So you made her a Key Crest and it isn't working yet? Nothing at all?"

I shook my head. "Nothing. It's like we're not even here."

Zelos stroked his chin. "Hmm, let's see – oh Coooooleeeeette!"

He got really close to her face, as though the proximity of his voice would make a difference. However, she didn't even blink. Her red eyes were just as dull as before.

"She really doesn't respond to anything," he said with a sigh.

"Hey!" Sheena gave Zelos a suspicious look. "You aren't doing anything funny to her, are you?"

He backed away from Colette. "What?! Of course not!"

"You seem rather defensive," I said in a clipped tone.

"Exactly," Sheena agreed. "It wouldn't surprise me at all if you did something like that."

"And what do you mean by that?" he asked innocently.

"Um, _hello? You tried peeking at me in the shower before!"_

Now _that _was a story I needed to hear.

He shrugged. "That was just…natural curiosity towards the unknown."

"Oh brother…" she grumbled. She gave her head a quick shake and stomped up to walk with Lloyd and Presea, presumably so she didn't lose her temper and kill Zelos.

Zelos, meanwhile, had gone back to looking at Colette. This time, he had a serious, almost contemplative look on his face.

"This angel transformation definitely doesn't look like something I want to go through," he murmured. His lips pulled into a slight grimace just at the thought of it.

As much as nobody wanted to do it, we soon had to stop to rest. Night fell quickly into our journey to the bridge, as the events that unfolded in Sybak had taken up the entire day. While we agreed that we would only be stopping to eat, and then continuing on, it was still precious time being spent.

This was the only thought on my mind while I cooked dinner. I desperately wished that I could be there with Genis and Raine. It wasn't fair that their lives were in danger and I was safe, just because there was something wrong with my mana. If I had gone too, then there would be one extra person, and maybe we could have overpowered them! Or something…ugh.

"You do realize you're still bleeding, right?"

Dammit. I had been so preoccupied with worrying about Genis and Raine that I hadn't noticed Zelos sneak up on me. I jumped, nearly dropping my ladle into the stew.

"What? Dammit Zelos, don't sneak up on me like that!"

"Sorry, but I wasn't about to let you bleed to death over here." His tone was completely casual as he took in the gash on my back. It had soaked the back of my clothes completely with blood, as well as sending a stream of it down my bare legs. "That Papal Knight really did a number on you, huh?"

"It's just a scratch," I muttered. "I'll deal with it after dinner's finished." I wasn't surprised by the way he was acting, but I was pretty annoyed. He realized I was a half-elf after the way he acted, and now he was trying to cover his own ass by acting concerned for my well-being. I wasn't buying it for a second.

"And how are you going to do that?" He crossed his arms and gave me a challenging look. "Raine isn't here. Are you just going to waste a bunch of our gels? The cut is on your back, it'd be pretty awkward to clean and bandage yourself. Why don't you let me help you?"

I sighed, irritated. "You ask too many questions. I'm trying to make our dinner here."

"Aurelia, I can cast First Aid," he continued. "I can fix it in no time. If you let it go, the blood is gonna ruin your new dress that I had delivered for you."

"What is this _really_ about, Zelos?" I slammed the ladle down. My tone caused Sheena and Lloyd to glance over from where they were sitting. They both looked concerned, but I kept going. "Because I can think of three things. You either really care – which is highly doubtful, you want to try and get me out of my dress so you can 'examine my wound', or you're just trying to make up for the whole half-elf thing."

Zelos looked a little bit scared at my tone. "While the last two are very good reasons, you really do need to let me heal that cut."

"No."

I saw Sheena exchange a look with Lloyd before getting up and walking over. She made sure she was in between Zelos and I before talking.

"Look, Aurelia, I understand Zelos is a total jackass," she said gently, "but he, unfortunately, has a point. We don't have a healer at the moment, and Zelos happens to be more skilled than any of us at it. You should probably let him help."

I gaped at her. "Sheena, there is no way I'm letting this creep touch me."

Zelos waved his hand in the air. "Uh, I'm still here, guys."

"I'll even finish cooking," she offered.

I shook my head and reached for the ladle. After that, everything happened very fast.

Sheena and Zelos looked at each other, seeming to come to some sort of silent agreement. Sheena put her ninja reflexes to work and grabbed the ladle before I could. She hid it behind her back and took several quick steps out of the way, which gave Zelos the opportunity to run at me and knock me to the ground. Making sure I was on my stomach, he held my hands behind me and gently sat on my upper back so as not to cause pain.

"Zelos, get the hell off of me _now!"_ I shouted furiously. I tried to squirm and throw him off of me but it only caused me pain, and besides – something told me that once he had a girl pinned, he was pretty good at keeping her there.

"Nope. This will only take a sec."

"I'm so sorry," Sheena was saying, although I could hear the slightest hint of laughter in her voice. Lloyd merely stared on at the scene in shock.

My response was a series of meaningless grumbles.

A spell circle sprung up beneath me and practically blinded me as Zelos cast First Aid. The dull ache I had been feeling was washed away by a cool light, and Zelos' presence on my back became more bearable.

"Okay, you healed me." I tried my best not to sound to relieved. The wound _had _been pretty painful. "Can you get off of me now?"

"Oh I don't know," he taunted. "I think I deserve a thank-you for that."

My fist clenched in the dirt. "Thanks. Now up."

"I think that's the best you're going to get," Sheena told him.

Fortunately, Zelos listened to reason and stood up. He reached out a hand to help me up, but my anger caused me to ignore it and help myself up.

"I'm going to change, I guess." I began rummaging through my bag until I pulled out my other new outfit I'd received in Meltokio. "Make sure _he_ keeps his distance." I shot a pointed look at Zelos.

Sheena crossed her arms. "Of course I will. I've got experience in dealing with him."

"You guys are so mean to me," he pouted.

I headed off into the trees to change clothes. As angry as I currently was with Zelos, I was thankful he could heal. And I did realize that all of Tethe'alla was pretty discriminatory towards half-elves, so I shouldn't have been surprised that a spoiled, rich guy like him wasn't any different.

Still, I just couldn't help but feel insulted that his opinion on a person could change so quickly after finding out their heritage. Not that he'd treated me any differently, but…well, his thoughts had probably changed, and he just didn't want to seem like an asshole by expressing that. I think.

Ugh, what did it matter anyway? All that was important right now was saving Genis and Raine. I could worry about all of this after that was done.

I was lacing up the front of my shirt (it was a lot longer than I had originally thought) when I heard a rustle in the bushes around me. I sighed and violently tugged the ribbon into a bow. I then placed my fists on my hips and faced the darkness.

"Alright Zelos," I called out. The anger was barely contained in my voice. "If you come out right now, I'll let you keep one of your limbs."

Silence.

I rolled my eyes. "Oh, come on! I'll even let you pick which one, how about it?"

At that moment, a loud slap sounded out from the camp, followed by Sheena yelling something at Zelos.

I froze. Okay, so if Sheena was currently yelling at Zelos, then that meant both of them were at the campfire, which meant that it wasn't Zelos spying on me in the bushes. Oh boy.

"Uh, hello…?" I tried my best to sound brave, which was pretty lacking considering I'd left my weapons at the camp. Still, I opened my ears for any slight sound of movement so I at least wouldn't be caught off guard. "Who's there?"

More rustling came from the trees around me, and I searched the area wildly to see the source. My eyes were drawn to one spot as a figure emerged from the bushes. I clenched my fists in case I needed to throw a punch.

As the figure approached, my eyes adjusted to the darkness and I could see more details about him. He was tall, with shaggy hair and an unshaven face. Scars marked up his skin, and there was faint bruising across his nose. My stomach grew queasy as I slowly realized who he was.

"Y-You…" I whispered. I started shaking and opened my mouth to scream.

He smirked and brought a finger to his lips. "Shhh. No need to scream, darling. I'm not taking you anywhere."

"What do you want?" I demanded. "My friends are just over there, including the one who broke your nose so you better not try anything!"

"Relax," he chuckled. "Like I said, you're staying here. I've come here as a messenger, but first – I don't believe we've been properly introduced. I apologize for my rudeness upon our first meeting, but there was business to be done." He held out his hand to me. "The name's Pierce."

"I don't care what your name is," I spat. "And get that filthy hand away from me." Memories of his breath on my neck made my skin crawl. I felt like I was going to throw up, especially when I realized he had probably watched me change.

"All business I see," he said in that drawling voice of his. "Oh well. I guess I'll get right to it. I have a message from Olivia."

Despite my urge to fire something back at him, curiosity got the better of me. "What is it?"

"She'd like to meet with you," he replied. "At your earliest convenience, of course. She is quite a patient woman."

"No thanks. I'm kind of busy at the moment saving my friends." Which was true, but I couldn't help but wonder why Olivia wanted to see me.

He shrugged. "That's fine. Like I said, at your earliest convenience. She'd like to meet in Sybak to discuss some things with you."

"What a shame," I sighed. "We just left Sybak and happen to be heading in the completely opposite direction. So it looks like she's out of luck."

"She can wait."

I raised my eyebrows at him. "Just for the record, why are you helping her? Is she really paying you that much?"

His face grew cold. "Well considering my men deserted me after that asshole took them down so easily, I don't really have anything better to do. Olivia has shown more loyalty to me than those boneheads ever have in all the years they've worked for me."

"Olivia? Loyal?" I let out a laugh. "Now that's funny. And Zelos wouldn't have done that if you didn't try to rape and kidnap me."

"You see the situation much differently than I do," he said with a smile. That smile disgusted me. He clearly felt no remorse towards it, and if not for what were probably specific instructions from Olivia and the distance we stood from the others, he probably would have no qualms with trying it again.

"Aurelia? Are you okay?"

Sheena pushed through the bushes and stopped short when she saw Pierce. "Who are you?" she asked sharply.

He nodded his head to her. "An acquaintance of Aurelia's. I'd love to stay and chat, but I really must be going." His eyes turned to me. "Remember what I said, Aurelia. At your earliest convenience." With that, he turned and strolled into the darkness.

Sheena didn't try to stop him. She turned to look at me and her expression instantly turned to worry.

"Are you okay? Aurelia, you're as white as a sheet." She gently touched my arm.

"I-I am?" I realized that I was shaking slightly. I continued to stare where Pierce had disappeared, feeling a mix of fear and anger towards him and Olivia respectively.

"Let's get you back to camp. Who the hell was that guy?"

I didn't answer, but let her lead me back to the fire. As she'd promised, she had finished dinner and everyone was about halfway through their meals. When we arrived, it was immediately clear to the others that something had happened.

Lloyd abandoned his food and ran over to me. "Aurelia? What happened? Are you okay?"

I didn't really know how to explain it to anyone other than Zelos, unfortunately. I locked eyes with him and mumbled, "That guy from the alley."

His eyebrows shot up. "_What?"_

"That guy that Olivia sent?" Lloyd recalled. He sounded worried, but only Zelos understood why I was so shaken up. Only he had seen what Pierce almost did, and understood why I was scared of him.

I nodded quickly.

"Olivia? What did he want?" Sheena asked in surprise. We had forgotten to tell her about the first incident.

"The first time he tried to take me captive," I said quietly. "This time…she wants to meet with me in Sybak. To 'discuss things'. I don't buy it."

Sheena looked disgusted. "After what she did, I wouldn't either. It _would_ be good to know what she's planning, though."

I shrugged. "I guess. I don't want to worry about it right now, though. Genis and Raine are more important."

"Yeah," Lloyd agreed. "Let's finish up and move on."

We all sat down and continued on our meals. I picked at mine, not feeling very hungry anymore. I feared that any food I swallowed would find its way right back up not long after.

Zelos continued to look at me as we waited for everyone to finish. As we packed up the camp, he came close to me so that the others wouldn't hear him speak.

"Hey. You alright?" he asked softly.

I didn't want to look at him. My pride reminded me that I was still angry at him. "I'm okay."

"Did he…try anything?" I heard the sound of his fist punch his other hand. "Cuz if so, I don't mind breaking his nose again. You said Sybak, right?"

"That won't be necessary," I mumbled. My fingers fumbled with the clasps on my bag. Why was I so useless right now?

"You didn't answer my question." This time he sounded serious. "Aurelia, what did he-?"

"It's fine, Zelos." To my immense irritation, my voice came out as something of a whimper. "He just talked. I…I was just a little scared, okay? It's nothing."

I felt his hand gently touch my shoulder and I shook it off. _Dammit Zelos, stop trying to comfort me and just be an insensitive asshole so I can stay mad at you!_

He sighed. "Alright. Have it your way." He left me alone after that, thankfully. I did my best to shove all of this out of my mind and pushed the current matter to the front: saving Genis and Raine. We hurried on.

* * *

It must have been a miracle, but the bridge seemed much shorter this time around. We sprinted each step, until we finally neared the end and saw the group of Papal Knights leading our friends down the bridge's steps and onto the mainland. Morning was just breaking as we did so.

"There they are!" I cried joyously. "We caught up to them!"

"Dammit!" Sheena cursed when she saw them reach the land. "We have to hurry!"

"You sound worried," said Lloyd. "They're right there, what's wrong?"

"Part of this bridge is a drawbridge, and it just happens to be the end part they just crossed," she explained. Her eyes were glued to the knights. "If they raise the bridge on us, there will be nothing we can do!"

As if on cue, one of the knights broke apart from the group and approached the wall. He began fiddling with something attached to it and the ground jerked beneath our feet. Then, the section of bridge we stood on began to rise into the air.

Lloyd stopped short. "Damn! They _are_ trying to cut us off! Come on, we'll have to jump it!" He started to run forward but Zelos stepped in front of him.

"What?! Wait! Time-out!" He waved his hands in front of Lloyd in a panic. "Are you _nuts?_ We'll die if we fall from here!"

"And if we abandon them, they'll die, too!" Lloyd insisted, jabbing a finger in the others' direction.

"Let us continue our pursuit," Presea agreed.

We all ran on, leaving him no choice but to follow. "Man…" he groaned.

Butterflies formed in my stomach. We ran to the top of the ramp at full speed and jumped, soaring through the air…

…for about five seconds before we began plummeting down to the ocean. Screams sounded from everyone – even Presea let out a loud gasp. Colette, having wings, was the only one to be able to fly to the other side with no problems. She didn't even blink an eye at us.

"_Undine!" _Sheena shrieked. She fumbled around in her kimono for the aquamarine and thrust it into the air. "_Help!"_

I worried for a split second that, without reciting that verse, nothing would happen. But I was _very_ thankful when Undine emerged from the ocean and sent a large pillar of water spiralling up, catching us and pushing us into the air. It rushed down the other side of the bridge like a waterfall, and Undine's swirling magic floated us gently to the bottom of the ramp.

"Safe landing due to an unknown force," said Presea, sounding mildly relieved. "No damage detected."

"Phew. I thought I was going to die," Zelos huffed. He held a hand over his no doubt pounding heart.

"Thanks, Sheena!" said Lloyd.

She nodded and gazed down at the aquamarine. "I'm sure glad I was able to summon her."

Presea hesitated before interrupting, "Excuse me, but Professor Sage and Genis are…"

"That's right!" Lloyd exclaimed. "We have to save them!"

The sound of our screams and the sudden flow of water alerted the knights to our presence. One of them broke from the group, and I recognized him as Hatfield.

"Oh great. You all managed to escape."

"You're not as smart as you think, Hatfield," Zelos smugly responded.

"Give us back our friends!" Lloyd commanded.

"Silence!" Hatfield roared. "I'll finish you pests off right here!"

The knights surrounding him readied their weapons and charged us. Hatfield calmly approached Zelos, whose sword was already drawn and hanging casually at his side.

"I've been looking forward to this for a long time, Chosen One." Although I couldn't see his face, I could hear the sneer in his voice.

"Wow Hatfield," Zelos said thoughtfully. "You know, I never would have taken you for the suicidal type."

Hatfield took a moment to actually process the insult, and when he finally got it, he let out an angry cry and lunged at him.

Now I focused on my own fighting. Despite being trained as "knights", these guys were fairly easy to dispatch. Between Lloyd, Sheena, Presea, Colette, and me, we quickly had them all on the ground, until the only ones left fighting were Zelos and Hatfield. As the fight continued, I noticed Zelos growing less and less calm, until it looked like he was simply taking out all of his frustration against the knight captain.

Finally, Zelos' sword sliced through Hatfield's armour and plunged into his chest. He fell wordlessly to the ground.

"Finally," Zelos sighed. "That guy's always been a pain in my ass." While he was relieved, he also seemed a bit uneasy at having just killed the man.

"Lloyd! Everyone!" Genis cried out happily once the fight was over. He ran over to us, wearing a large grin.

Raine looked less enthusiastic. She almost looked surprised, which was weird.

"You…came to rescue us."

Lloyd raised his eyebrows at her. "Of course! You're our friends!"

Genis realized why his sister was so solemn and frowned. "But…we're half-elves…"

"So…?" Lloyd questioned. "So is Aurelia. What's your point?"

Genis whipped his head up. "Lloyd!" His eyes were shining.

Raine gave him a long, emotional look before catching herself and clearing her throat. "What about the Tethe'allan half of our group? Do you mind if we join up with you?" She was probably remembering what Zelos had said about half-elves.

"I'm from Mizuho," said Sheena. "We're not exactly mainstream either. We're really not that different." She shrugged and smiled at her.

Zelos looked less comfortable. As was to be expected. "To tell you the truth…I can't say I'm really kosher with this."

Raine looked a bit dejected, Genis looked murderous, and I…well I imagined I was more along the lines of what Genis looked like.

"Then again," he continued, "people have always treated me differently, saying I'm a descendent of angels or whatever." He shrugged like that wasn't a big deal. "So in a way, we're a lot alike."

"I…just want to go home," said Presea.

"I see…" I had to admit, Raine looked relieved. "Alright then."

"Thanks guys," Genis smiled. His face shifted as he realized something "Not to change the subject or anything, but Sheena, why are you here?"

"Yes, I was wondering that as well," said Raine.

"I have orders from the chief," she explained. She sounded kind of nervous. "I'm…supposed to observe your activities."

"That's typical of Mizuho," Zelos said knowingly. "They're trying to decide if they should side with the King or you guys."

"So now we have _two_ people keeping tabs on us," Genis sighed.

"B-But I'm not trying to do anything or-or get in your way or anything!" Sheena promised, suddenly flustered. "So-so-"

"We know that already," Raine assured her kindly. "You're an honest person…perhaps to a fault."

"What about you, Zelos?" Lloyd asked. "I'm guessing you're still keeping tabs on us?"

"Well it's not like I can go back to Meltokio right now," he pointed out. "In case you didn't realize, I just _killed_ one of the captains of the Papal Knights. That's kind of a…big…" He trailed off, full realization slowly washing over him. "Crap. I just _killed_ one of the captains of the Papal Knights! They could have my head for this!"

"Well you're already wanted for 'treason' technically, right?" Lloyd brought up. "So it's not like you'd be able to go back to Meltokio anyway, right?"

Zelos sighed dramatically. "This sucks. Guess I really _am _stuck with you guys."

Sheena patted his shoulder. "Don't sound so happy about it."

"At this point, I'm okay with anything!" Lloyd said happily. "Now we just need Sheena to form a pact with Volt and we can get those rheairds working!"

"V-Volt?!" Sheena blurted. It could have been my imagination, but it looked like she started to tremble.

Presea tilted her head to the side. "Sheena?"

Sheena looked at all of us, who, in turn, were looking at her in confusion. She blushed and stared at the ground. "Ah…nothing…"

_That reaction to Volt again…_

"Then, shouldn't we go get the rheairds first?" Zelos suggested. "Either way, Volt's temple is on the other side of the Grand Tethe'alla Bridge. It'll be faster if we pick up the rheairds, since the bridge is closed off right now."

"Wow, a logical suggestion," I remarked.

"Pick up? How are you planning on moving these things?" Lloyd asked.

"Heheh, just leave that to me!" he said proudly. "I prepared a secret weapon just in case something like this happened."

"What secret weapon?" Genis asked suspiciously. I could tell he didn't trust him one bit.

"It wouldn't be any fun if I spoiled the surprise! Now let's get going! To the Fooji Mountains!" He declared this like we were going on a fun trip somewhere, not hiking up a big mountain.

"He's awfully chipper," I observed.

"I can't believe we have to climb that mountain _again…"_ Lloyd sighed, looking miserable.

"Why don't we take a day to rest, first?" Raine suggested. "Judging by the looks of all you, and by how fast you made it here, I don't imagine you had much sleep."

"Or any," Sheena admitted. "We stopped to eat, but that's about it."

"You guys are safe now," I said. "I think we can afford a day's rest. We won't be any use if we're practically sleep-walking."

With that decided, we kept walking until we found a suitable place to set up camp. It was within the shade of some trees, so we had no problem concealing ourselves. There was also a river nearby, so we had fresh water to fill our canteens, cook supper, and bathe with.

Everyone settled to different activities. Genis opted to cook (thank Martel), I set up the camp, Presea sat by herself, Zelos bothered Sheena – who looked bothered, but not necessarily at Zelos. Raine began speaking to Lloyd.

"How is Colette?" she asked. "Has the Key Crest done anything?"

Lloyd shook his head sadly. "Nothing. I don't understand why it won't work. That Jamison guy said it would, right?"

Raine looked at the Chosen in thought. "Perhaps it just needs some time for it to take effect. I shall have a look at her." She got up and pulled Colette aside.

At that moment, Sheena got fed up with Zelos' advances and, summoning Corrine, went for a walk by herself. That left Zelos to speak with Lloyd and I.

"So Raine and the kid are really half-elves…" he said this to us, but it was almost more to himself. Luckily, both siblings were far enough away that they couldn't hear him.

"What, are you going to discriminate against them too?" Lloyd wondered a bit harshly. I too was alert to hear what he'd have to say about it.

"I'm sure it sounds like that." Zelos didn't sound defensive, but rather understanding that Lloyd would think that. "But, you've got to understand – I've been educated this way since birth. 'Half-elves are stupid, savage, filthy creatures'."

I flinched at his words. I think he forgot I was there for a minute.

Lloyd's face started turning red with anger. "You-!"

"Don't get mad," Zelos interrupted in a calm voice. "I'm just stating the common view." He looked from Genis to Raine, and then his eyes rested on me. "Well, I haven't been around them very long yet, but I can tell they're good people, not any different from us."

Lloyd nodded. "Good." This was enough for him, and he got up to go see how Raine and Colette were doing. Lucky me, this meant I was stuck with Zelos.

He stared after Lloyd and said to himself, "Knowing that, but still being unable to shake the feelings, is what discrimination is all about though…"

I thought about his words. They were ignorant, sure, but…he really didn't know any better. No one in Tethe'alla did. I felt like I could almost relate to that. I had gone my whole life being misled as well, and having to deal with learning I was wrong was a pretty rough experience.

"You probably still think I'm an asshole," Zelos commented. "I keep forgetting you're a half-elf too."

"I do think you're an asshole," I plainly stated. "But…I can kind of see where you're coming from now. I grew up with misconceptions about the world too." I put it in my tone that I didn't plan on telling him what those misconceptions were.

He picked up on it. "Well, thanks for understanding! So you're not mad at me anymore~?" And there came the seductive tones. He smiled and slid across the ground to get closer to me.

I held my hand up to stop him. "Don't get me wrong. I got over my misconceptions pretty quickly. I had to for the sake of the world. So don't think that my understanding means that you can get away with it."

His face fell and he now looked skeptical. "So what, you're expecting me to instantly get over a lifetime of discrimination just because half of you guys are half-elves? That's not exactly easy, you know."

"I know." I stared up at the sky. It was beginning to brighten with the still-rising sun, and wispy shapes of clouds became visible. I thought of what I once knew to be home, and my arrival in Sylvarant. "If you're like me, those feelings won't really go away. No matter how hard you try, every once in a while you'll still have that little ache in your stomach telling you it's wrong. We could be the nicest half-elves in the world and it wouldn't matter. It's hard to let go of a lifetime of teaching." I looked over at him. "Right?"

"That's…right," he said in surprise. "Aurelia, what are…I mean-"

"I was raised a Desian." I decided there was no point in keeping it from him. Everyone else in the group knew, so he'd find out eventually.

As I expected, his eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Whoa! So you were one of the bad guys?"

I noticed that even Presea, who sat nearby, looked over in curiosity.

"I guess you're right," I said with a smile. It felt kind of ridiculous to refer to it as that, but it technically was true. "I was raised by the leader of Cruxis, Lord Yggdrasill. My whole life I was taught that Desians were the heroes, and that they kept order in the world. Of course, I wasn't raised 'in the world', so I had no idea that they were the ones causing all the trouble."

"Wow," Zelos laughed, amazed. "So you really _did _have some misconceptions." He stopped to think about it. "So you were forced to get over it cuz you had to fight them?"

I nodded. "Spot on. Even after all of the horrible things that they did to the others, and me…it was hard to fight what I once considered to be my family."

"But you did it."

I was surprised to hear this come from Presea. It didn't look like it, but she was listening to the conversation as well.

I smiled at her. "I did. I had to, in order to protect my friends and do what was right." I looked back at Zelos. "So my point is, yeah it was hard to get over, but I did it. I can't stop you from feeling how you do, but you better not let it get in the way of doing what's right, okay?"

"Yes ma'am," he teased. "I feel like I'm being scolded. Aren't you younger than I am?"

I scowled. The subject had been changed, but I could tell I'd gotten through to him, at least a little bit. "I'm 20, Zelos. I'm not that much younger than you!"

"Wait _what? _You're only two years younger than me?!" He looked shocked and happy at the same time.

"Of course!"

He leaned in close to my face, clearly unaware of how uncomfortable that made me. His eyes darted across every feature. "Man, I would've pegged you for Colette's age. Maybe a bit older." His eyes then moved down to my chest. "I mean, you've got decent boobs, but you're so tiny!"

"Z-Zelos!" I blushed and scrambled away from him. "Y-Yes, I'm two years younger than you, okay?"

He grinned at me. "Well then! That means we should be able to go on a proper date, right?"

"No, it doesn't," I muttered.

"And why not?"

Okay, clearly nothing I said to this man worked, so I was going to have to tell him the truth…at least part of it. I looked at him and said, "If you really must know, I'm…I'm just getting over someone. Things ended very badly and I'm not interested in dating someone for a _very_ long time. Okay?"

He blinked, clearly surprised. "Oh, I uh, sorry. Didn't know that."

"It's okay," I told him. "I just thought you should know." _Wow, that went better than expected. He apologized and everything! Maybe now he'll leave me-_

"I guess you're lucky then!" he said cheerfully. "No one can heal heartbreak like Zelos Wilder! Stick with me, and you'll forget that guy ever existed!"

Ouch. Right in the heartbreak. It's not like he knew the details or anything, but still. That was pretty harsh.

Sheena had been approaching the camp as he said this, and she stopped dead in her tracks. Her eyes widened in alarm as she looked from an oblivious Zelos to me, who probably looked like I was about to breakdown crying.

"_Zelos!"_ she exclaimed angrily.

He cringed. "Oh hey, Sheena. What's up?"

She marched over and clonked him on the head. "How can you be so insensitive?"

"Oh I get it." A look of understanding came on his face as he rubbed the spot she'd hit. "You're jealous because I asked Aurelia on a date. It's okay, Sheena. My arms are always open to you, you know that."

"That's not what I meant and you know it!"

"Yes it is, you're feeling underappreciated by me, right? There's some woods right over there you know – if you want me to make you feel appreciated."

_SMACK!_

"You two seem close," I giggled.

"We go way back," Zelos explained.

"Unfortunately," she added. "Remember when I told you the Chosen of Tethe'alla was a jackass?" She pointed her finger down at him. "Exhibit A."

"Hey, you told her that?" Zelos asked, sounding offended. "What, were you trying to ruin my chances with her before we even met? I never took you for the catty type, Sheena."

She rolled her eyes. "Oh, get over yourself."

"GUYS! GUYS, GUESS WHAT?!"

I glanced over in Lloyd's direction. "What is he screaming about?"

"He's bringing Colette over here," said Sheena.

Sure enough, Lloyd had Colette by the hand and was practically dragging her over here. Genis left his spot at the frying pan to see what was going on. Even Presea looked mildly interested.

"What is it, Lloyd?" Genis asked.

"Colette just looked at me!" he said excitedly.

I raised an eyebrow. "Not to ruin your mood Lloyd, but uh…so?"

"It was quite something," said Raine. She had calmly followed behind Lloyd, but even she looked happy. "He said her name and she turned her head towards him, as though she heard him."

"It could have just been a coincidence," said Zelos.

"It wasn't! I swear she heard and saw me!" Lloyd was pretty much bouncing up and down with how excited he was.

"So the Key Crest is working?" I asked hopefully.

"If this wasn't a coincidence like Zelos said, then it could very well be starting to," said Raine. She was starting to get a bit emotional. She really missed Colette too.

Lloyd turned to Colette and squeezed her hand. "I don't know if you can hear any of this, Colette, but you're going to be better in no time! I promise!"

After that, the rest of the day passed by pretty light-heartedly. Everyone was in high spirits about Colette possibly getting better, and we were all getting some much-needed downtime. Raine took the opportunity to have lessons with Genis and Lloyd, which she hadn't done for a long time. Zelos even sat in and helped with math, which he was surprisingly good at. According to him, he had graduated at the top of his class from the Imperial Research Academy. Sheena then informed me quietly that he got a lot of the other girls in his class to do a lot of his work for him, so math was really his only strong point.

Presea was the only one who seemed uneasy. I knew she just really wanted to go home, and this probably felt like wasting time to her. We were supposed to have dropped her off after we were finished in Sybak, and now we were stuck on the wrong side of the bridge and heading in the opposite direction. Genis did his best to try and chat her up, which mostly went ignored or was answered with one-word replies.

Either way, she didn't complain and the day passed by without any problems. As soon as the sun started to droop in the sky, people started settling to sleep and we took turns keeping watch, just in case the Papal Knights had called reinforcements. I ended up on a shift with Sheena, which I was happy about. We hadn't gotten much chance to talk since she left.

"So was your chief mad you couldn't kill Colette?" I asked her after some time. I was worried she'd gotten in trouble for us.

"He was mad at first," she replied. "But after I explained the situation to him, he seemed to understand. That's why I was ordered to continue travelling with you guys."

I grinned. "Well then I'm glad we didn't get you in trouble."

"So am I," she laughed. She hesitated like she wanted to say something else.

"What is it?" I asked her worriedly. "Is something wrong?"

She shook her head. "N-No! Nothing, I just…I wanted to apologize for the way Zelos was acting earlier. About Devin, I mean. That was really insensitive of him."

"You don't need to apologize for that." I frowned, confused that she'd even think she needed to apologize for something like that. "Besides, Zelos doesn't know what actually happened, so…" I shrugged. "It kind of hurt, but he didn't know any better."

She looked relieved. "Okay, that's good. He can be a pretty big ass sometimes. Speaking of which, he hasn't bothered you or Raine _too _much, has he?"

"Nothing too bad. Aside from being insulting about half-elves and me pretty much seeing him naked – there haven't been any really bad problems."

She raised her eyebrows at the last part. "Wait, you…you what?"

"That maid Lisa is a bitch," I said simply.

Apparently that was enough of an answer for her. "Okay, I can imagine something from there. She's pretty nasty."

I giggled at the memory of leaving Meltokio. "Well Zelos put her on garbage and bathroom duty while he's gone, so…"

"Huh." Sheena smirked. I guess she got as much amusement out of that as I did. "Zelos isn't so bad, after all."

We both continued to laugh about this for a while, and joked about Zelos in general for the rest of our shift. Sheena didn't have any problems ranting about him, and had many stories about his womanizing. I considered bringing up her bad mood at hearing about Volt, both times it had happened, but we were having a really good conversation, and I didn't want to ruin her good mood. Thus, I kept quiet.

When it finally came time for sleep, I was much more tired than I'd realized and almost instantly fell asleep. Unfortunately, morning came all-too quickly, and we were soon back on the road to the rheairds.

* * *

The first thing we noticed as we began climbing the mountain is that there were a lot more monsters around than last time. In fact, when I thought back on it I couldn't remember seeing _any _monsters on the mountain last time.

Sheena confirmed my thoughts after we finished our first battle. "So monsters really started to reappear…But the regeneration ritual isn't complete, so what's going on?" She looked to Raine to see if she had any answers.

"Hmm, well if it's not caused by decline in mana, then it may be the work of Cruxis," Raine considered.

Lloyd looked worried. "To try and hurt Colette?"

"Can they do something like that?" Genis wondered.

"It's just a conjecture," said Raine. "We can't say for certain."

As we continued on, I began to think that maybe Raine was right. The monsters weren't really the kind you'd normally see in a place like this. They were ghoulish creatures that looked like they could easily be the work of Cruxis.

When we finally reached the top of the mountain, we found the rheairds to be just where we left them. The smoke had long since stopped coiling up from the engines, but they were still in pretty rough shape. Zelos separated from the group and walked forward to look more closely at them.

"Hey Zelos, how are we going to carry these?" Lloyd asked doubtfully.

Zelos donned a proud smile. "Oh, I'll show ya! Come over here to this rheaird and I'll demonstrate."

Everyone but Colette followed him over to one of the rheairds. Zelos was just about to open his mouth to speak when a wall of mana suddenly shot from the ground and surrounded us like a cage.

"What is this?!" Lloyd exclaimed. He reached to pound his fist against the yellow wall and jerked his hand back like he'd been burnt.

At that moment the summit was suddenly swarmed with people in uniforms who I immediately recognized to be Renegades. Yuan was the last to emerge, and he stood staring at us with his arms crossed.

"You walked right into my trap, fools!" he said smugly.

We all turned and glared at Zelos, who had this look of dumb shock on his face.

"He just called you a fool," Lloyd clarified, because we all knew that it was _him _who'd accidently walked into the trap.

"Zelos…is clumsy," Presea agreed.

Zelos sighed and slumped his shoulders. "Gah…I am so sad now…"

"Lord Yuan, sir!" one of the Renegades threw up a salute. "What are our orders?

"Retrieve the rheairds," he replied. "I shall have no problem in apprehending Lloyd myself."

"What about the girl?" another asked. I could only assume he was referring to me.

"Botta has informed me he will retrieve her at a later time." His eyes turned to me, and I could see he looked annoyed. "He would prefer we not use force on her."

"Understood!" The soldiers scattered across the summit and began packing up the rheairds. Yuan approached the cage of mana and peered in at Lloyd.

"Lloyd Irving," he said slowly. "This time, you're mine."

"Damn," Lloyd hissed. His eyes flew all around the cage, looking for some kind of escape.

"Oh? Lord Yuan. What brings you to this place?"

My attention was turned from Yuan to the woman who had just appeared on the mountain via teleporting.

"Lady Pronyma…" I whispered in shock. What was _she _doing here?!

"That's her?" Genis asked in surprise.

I nodded. I was definitely feeling nervous now.

"I should ask you the same, Pronyma!" Yuan said coldly. He didn't look as surprised as she was, but he did seem annoyed. "The role of the Desians is to wreak havoc upon the declining world."

"I have come on Lord Yggdrasill's orders," she explained. "I am to retrieve both Colette and Aurelia. Please turn them over to me."

"The Chosen is all yours, but I'm afraid I cannot allow you to take Aurelia. I am to keep her from harm's way. I trust you understand."

She looked conflicted. "I should have thought such."

"I…I'm not going with you," I spoke up.

"Hm?" She glanced over at me as though she'd forgotten I was there. "Aurelia, I do not care what you want. If it were up to me you never would have come to these worlds in the first place." She returned her gaze to Yuan. "I suppose I can leave Aurelia for a later time. Only because you are here."

"Fine," said Yuan. "But in exchange for the Chosen, I am taking custody of Lloyd. I trust you have no objections?"

She waved her hand. "I have received no orders in regards to him; so, please do as you wish, my lord." With that, she hovered towards Colette and started to lead her away.

"_Colette!" _Lloyd exclaimed. "_No! Don't go!"_

Lady Pronyma paused and let out a loud laugh. "A futile effort. Your words cannot reach a Chosen who has lost her soul." She gazed at Colette until her smug expression turned into a frown. "What is this? Why is there such a crude Key Crest upon the Cruxis Crystal?" She leaned closer to examine it and pulled away with a look of disgust. "How pathetic. I shall remove the ugly thing at once."

As she brought her hand forward to remove Lloyd's necklace, something amazing happened. Colette's hands suddenly shot up to hold back Lady Pronyma's hand.

"N-No!"

_Colette…?_

"What?" Lady Pronyma's eyes widened at the girl.

"This is a birthday present that Lloyd gave me," she said fiercely, and slapped her hand away.

"Colette…she spoke!" Genis said in awe.

"Colette!" Lloyd shouted. He sounded on the verge of tears with how happy he was. "Are you really back to normal?!"

She perked up and turned around to face us. Her eyes were back to the bright and happy blue they were supposed to be, but they were filled with confusion.

"What? Why is everyone…inside that thing?" she wondered cluelessly.

"Impossible!" Yuan exclaimed. "There's no way that pitiful Key Crest could restrain the Cruxis Crystal!"

"Wow…not bad Lloyd!" Zelos praised.

"How…how could this happen?" Lady Pronyma looked truly shocked for the first time I'd ever seen her. She quickly gained her composure however and was back to business. "No matter, it is but a worthless bauble. It shan't last long. Now, come with me." She grabbed Colette's arm and started pulling her away.

"No! Let me _go!"_ Colette knocked Lady Pronyma back with a swing of her chakrams, only to stumble backwards and fall to the ground. As she did, it became apparent that she'd tripped over the now visible switch that was projecting the mana cage, and we were suddenly free.

"Whoops…" Colette stared at the now smoking projector. Upon further inspection, she realized that the smoke meant it was out of order and her eyes grew with concern. "Oh _no…_I-I broke it!"

"Alright!" Zelos cheered. "Good job, my little Colette! I think I'm falling in love!"

Genis doubled over laughing. "Hahahahaha! Now that's our Colette!"

"Some things never change," Raine said with an amused smile.

"Colette's clumsiness saves us once again!" I grinned, elbowing Sheena.

She sighed. "That brought back some painful memories…"

"Colette!" Lloyd rushed at the girl and wrapped his arms around her tightly.

"Lloyd!" She hugged back with one of the hugest smiles I've seen from her. "Lloyd, thank you so much for the present! I was so happy…I was _really _happy, but there wasn't anything I could do at the time. I just really wanted you to know that-"

He pulled away from the hug to look at her. "It's okay," he laughed in order to cut off her rambling. "Don't worry about it, Colette. I'm just really glad you're okay."

"Behind you!" Raine suddenly cried out.

Lloyd turned around just in time to dodge a blast of magic sent by Lady Pronyma.

Seeing she had failed, she glared at him. "You _impudent! _Prepare to die!"

She charged at him again, the shield ring floating around spinning into a razor circle that Lloyd was forced to block with his swords. This cued the rest of us to get ready for the battle, and we all took our positions.

Raine, Colette and Genis stayed back and began casting spells while Lloyd, Zelos, Presea, Sheena and I circled around Lady Pronyma and started the attack.

I had to admit, I was terrified. This woman had trained me, taught me every skill I knew – so not only was I aware of her full strength, she was aware of mine. This would not be an easy fight for me.

Lloyd landed the first blow, rushing in an unleashing a series of sword attacks that Zelos soon joined in on. While her shield ring did block a lot of the hits, enough were landed on her that she began to get annoyed.

"_Leonezium!" _The large image a beats head appeared and sent both Lloyd and Zelos flying back. After this, Lady Pronyma immediately began casting another spell. "_Agarazium!" _This caused a pillar of magic to pop up beneath Sheena and send her into the air before she could approach her. She hit the ground with a harsh thud.

_That's right. Lady Pronyma is so quick at casting spells. This could be tricky._

Okay, there was no more time for standing there like a scared idiot. I ignored all fear in my mind and charged forward. I unfolded my spear, dragging it along the ground and summoning a trail of shadows that I sent slithering towards her.

"_Abyss!" _ The shadows reached her just as I did and I joined them in landing a series of quick hits on her.

"Aurelia…" She quickly recovered from my attack and used Leonezium to knock me back.

Colette flew by and caught me under the arms before I could hit the ground. She set me down gently before continuing on to throw her chakrams at Lady Pronyma. She blocked them easy and cast Agarazium at Colette, but she was fortunately able to fly out of the way.

Lady Pronyma had a lot of strong, elemental spells at her disposal like Aqua Laser and Ice Tornado. She constantly used these do a lot of damage after she'd knocked someone down with either Leonezium or Agarazium. While she was able to block many of the physical attacks, this left her otherwise distracted and Genis, Raine and Zelos were able to cast many spells from a distance that worked great. They quickly discovered that she had an aversion to light elemental spells, so Photon was a popular spell for Raine to cast.

"Hmm, light…" I said to myself. I wondered if Reach counted as a light spell. I decided to find out. I put a bit of distance between us and held my spear out. "_Reach!"_

The blade of the spear shone white and shot forward to pierce through Lady Pronyma's leg. She cried out and sent a glare in my direction.

_Oh shit._ I was happy until I realized that I had just _hurt_ Lady Pronyma. I was about to die, no doubt about it.

She let out a snarl and began casting a spell. "_Bloody Lance!"_

It was much like the spell Remiel had used on me back at the Tower of Salvation, but he wasn't nearly as powerful, and this one was a bolt coloured bloody crimson. It struck me down, slicing right through my shoulder and pinning me to the ground. Pinned as I was, I wasn't able to avoid the several bolts that followed, and each crashed into me and caused me more and more pain before the final, giant one struck. I momentarily blacked out from the pure agony it caused me.

Raine quickly rushed over to heal me. "Are you okay?"

I groaned in response. "Y-You guys need to be careful…she's really…strong…"

She continued to heal me until I was at least able to stand, and then went back to slinging light spells at Lady Pronyma.

As soon as I was back on my feet, I ran at Lady Pronyma. It was probably the stupidest thing I could do, but I at least had an idea of her attack patterns, so I could be of some use.

"You filthy little traitor!" she barked as I attempted to land a hit on her. She grabbed my spear and stopped me dead in my tracks. Her face leaned in close to mine. "After everything Lord Yggdrasill and I have done for you, this is how you repay us? What an ungrateful _brat!" _She sent a blast of magic coursing through my spear that shocked my whole body. She then kicked me away and tossed my spear to the side so that she could defend against the heavy swing of Presea's axe.

I laid there in a daze. My body still twitched from her magic, and I was stunned by her words. Ungrateful? Had she _really _just called me ungrateful? I clenched my fists. No.

I pushed through my pain and dove for my spear. I then scrambled to my feet and rushed in, just as Lady Pronyma used Leonezium to knock Sheena back.

"Argh! Whirlwind!"

My attack caught her off guard and she wasn't able bring her shield ring up to guard in time. My final blow caught her in the stomach before I jumped back and held my spear pointed at her.

"Lady Pronyma…no, just Pronyma. How _dare _you call me ungrateful?!" I shouted at her. "You have no idea the pain I went through at learning you'd _lied _to me my whole life! What have you ever done for me that wasn't for your own gain? I went through hell fighting back against Cruxis, because you were supposed to be my family, and yet you were able to shamelessly lie to me for _years!"_

Before she could get another word in, I lunged at her and used Shatter almost instantaneously. She cried out as the ice shards dug into her arms and face.

"So don't you _dare _call me ungrateful, because you've given me absolutely _nothing _to be thankful for!" I sent strike after strike at her until I found myself simply sending blades of light off of my spear flying at her. They arched like crescent moons and flew until they were a full stream. "Hah! _Lunar Storm!"_

She was finally able to bring her shield ring up to block the stream and cast Ice Tornado at me. Ice shards twice the size of mine dug into my skin and I jumped back to get out of their reach.

However, when the ice cleared I saw that the spell had been a last, futile attempt. Pronyma was now unconscious on the ground. I breathed heavily and stared down at her.

_I…I just struck down Pronyma. Is this really happening?_

I covered my mouth with my hand and crouched down, trying to calm myself down.

Yuan meanwhile, had stood watching the entire fight without interruption. Now Lloyd's attention was focused on him.

"This is the perfect opportunity!" he said, holding his swords at the ready. "Yuan! I'm going to settle our score right now!" He ran forward to strike him down, but a flash of light momentarily blinded all of us, and when it cleared, Kratos Aurion stood there with his blade drawn, having blocked the attack. He was wearing an elaborate uniform of gold and white, much more befitting of an angel.

It took a moment for everyone to get over their shock. Lloyd was the first, his face twisting into an expression of rage.

"Kratos!" he shouted. "You traitor!"

Yuan looked surprised at having been saved by him. "What are you doing here?"

"Leave, Yuan." Ah, how I missed that annoyingly cold voice of his. "Lord Yggdrasill has summoned you."

"Grr…are you taking the Chosen?" Yuan seemed pretty irritated.

"No," Kratos replied. "We shall leave her for now. It's the toxicosis."

Yuan's face eased. "I see. Lloyd, our battle will have to wait." He gave the boy a smug look and then, to everyone's shock, unfolded a pair of pale, violet angel wings from his back. Before Lloyd could react, he took to the sky and was soon gone.

"He's an angel too?!" Sheena stared after him with complete disbelief.

"Dammit Yuan!" Lloyd shouted. "_Get back here!"_

Kratos gazed around the group with a contemplative look on his face. "What are you doing?"

"What?" Lloyd asked defensively. He turned to glare at Kratos.

"Why have you come all the way here, to Tethe'alla?"

"We came to save Colette," he replied like it was obvious.

Kratos sighed like he was dealing with a child. "What good will saving the Chosen do? The relation of the two worlds vying for each other's mana will not change. Their positions have merely been reversed by the regeneration ritual."

"Has Tethe'alla begun to decline?" Sheena asked fearfully.

Kratos trained his eyes on the horizon, where the tall, thin tower still stretched into the sky.

"The Tower of Salvation can still be seen from this world as well," he said. "As long as that exists here, that means this world is still flourishing. Although, in the event that the Chosen becomes Martel's vessel, Tethe'alla will surely bid farewell to its era of prosperity."

"Dammit!" Lloyd exploded. "Can't anything be done?! Yggdrasill's the one who built this twisted world!"

"Lord Yggdrasill does not consider it twisted," Kratos calmly replied.

"You probably don't either, seeing as you _betrayed _us back in Sylvarant!" Lloyd snapped. "After everything we've all been through together, you just stabbed us all in the back! How can you live with yourself you _traitor?! We all trusted you and we thought you were our friend!"_

Kratos barely blinked an eye at this little outburst. "Are you done? If you feel so strongly about all of this, then why don't you use your head and do something about it. I thought you weren't going to make any more mistakes?"

Everyone stared in shock at Kratos' cold tone. Even Lloyd looked momentarily stunned before a look of determination crossed his face.

"Yeah, I'll do it!" he said passionately. "This stupid system of worlds stealing mana from each other…I swear, I'll change it! Whatever it takes!"

Kratos looked at him and chuckled. "Heh…well, do your best." He floated into the sky, carrying an unconscious Pronyma beside him, and disappeared into the clouds.

"Kratos…" Genis murmured as he watched him fly away. "It looks like he really is with Cruxis."

"Yuan appears to be connected to them as well," Raine commented, "as it appears he is an angel."

"So in other words, they're _all_ our enemies, right?" Lloyd asked, frustrated.

"Yes," Raine replied. "We must be careful of everyone, including the Renegades."

"Colette, how are you feeling?" Genis asked.

Everyone suddenly remembered that Colette had regained her soul. The previous solemn mood was gone and quickly replaced with one of celebration as we crowded around Colette, showering her with hugs.

"I feel fine!" she said happily.

"What about everything else?" Raine asked her. "I see your voice and soul have returned, but are you able to feel things?"

Without warning, happy tears sprung up in her eyes and she started crying. "Y-Yup! I'm great! I can actually feel all of you hugging me…this is so great! I'm sorry that I worried all of you!"

_I never thought I would be glad to hear Colette needlessly apologize, _I thought in amusement.

"And you know what?" she went on. "I think I'm actually feeling hungry in the first time in a long while!"

"That's great!" Lloyd cheered. He looked like he was about to cry too. I think we all were, actually.

She laughed through her tears. Sniffling, she looked over her shoulder. "It looks like I still have wings, though."

I smiled at her. "All of the bad things gone, plus you get to keep the perks!"

Her eyes lit up. "Aurelia you're right!"

"Hmm, just as I thought!" Zelos was saying. He approached Colette and winked at her. "You are definitely cuter when you smile."

"Let's see…you're Zelos?" she guessed.

"Oh! You remembered my name!" He beamed at this, unsurprisingly. He put his arm around her shoulders and said, "We Chosen have to stick together, know what I mean?"

"Okay!" she said with a smile. Poor Colette. She had no idea what Zelos was really like.

"Now, what shall we do?" Raine asked the group. She was trying to keep us on task, but there was no mistaking the wet trails on her cheeks. "Since Colette has regained her soul, there's no need for us to go immediately back to Sylvarant. However…"

"We know what we have to do!" said Lloyd. "We're going to search for a way to save both worlds, in order to prevent any more Chosen like Colette!"

"I agree with Lloyd," said Colette. She smiled at Sheena. "I promised Sheena, too."

Sheena's eyes welled up. "Colette…"

"What about Presea?" asked Genis. He threw his hands up in exasperation over the fact that we all kept forgetting about her. "It's not fair to keep dragging her around like this!"

"I…want to go home…" Presea said in agreement. She was the only one not rejoicing at the moment. In fact, she looked very troubled.

"Oh yeah, that's right. We have to take her back to that Kate chick," Zelos recalled.

Presea didn't look happy at that thought either.

"Unfortunately, I don't think we can use the Grand Tethe'alla Bridge anymore," said Raine. She put her hand on her chin in thought. "Any suggestions?"

"Hmm, I have contacts in Meltokio," Sheena offered. "How about we ask them for help?"

Genis frowned. "But we're wanted traitors. Can we even get into Meltokio?"

Zelos stepped forward proudly. Any chance to be useful, he was going to milk it, for sure.

"Leave that to me. I know Meltokio like the back of my hand."

"Alright," said Lloyd. "We're counting on you Zelos."

"You got it!" he said smoothly. "You can always count on me! Now my hunnies, we're off to Meltokio!"

"Lloyd and I are hunnies…?" Genis muttered angrily.

"Colette?" Lloyd said before we headed down the mountain.

She stopped and turned to him, her hands clasped in worry. "What's wrong, Lloyd?"

He stared at her a few seconds before smiling and saying, "Welcome back."

Colette looked around the group. We were all smiling and holding back tears of relief. Our group finally felt whole again.

"Thanks Lloyd," she giggled. "Thanks everyone. I'm glad to be back."

* * *

**Done and done! A bit of Aurelia plot here, but more to come in the following chapters!**

**I'm so glad to be able to write about Colette again!**

**Thanks for reading, and feel free to review :)**


	28. A Bunch of Sewer Rats

**Here we are! I just finished writing this tonight, even though I should really be sleeping right now because my first day of my senior year starts tomorrow! Gah, I feel so old. I don't want to graduate ._.**

**Anyway, I'm very happy with how this chapter turned out. Some bits felt a little bit forced, but for the most part I find it was better than what I've been putting out recently.**

**Now that school is back in, my brain will probably be functioning properly again. I have another fic that I've been putting a lot of work into, just haven't published anything yet. I might soon though, so watch for it! It's a Final Fantasy X fic, if any of you'd enjoy that :)  
**

**Anyway, with that said - happy reading!**

* * *

"I'm so excited to see Meltokio! What is it like, guys? Is it big? Are there any cute dogs? How many people-?"

This is what we listened to for pretty much the whole trip back to Meltokio. Colette was so excited about being able to speak and have all of her senses back that she intended to use them to her full potential. She gawked at every significant thing we passed, often stopping to take long whiffs of the fresh air. It took her ages to eat meals, as she savoured each and every bite (she even ate green peppers, she was that happy to be able to taste again). She also talked everyone's ear off, and the only reason any of us got a word in was because she was so eager to hear all of our voices.

As tiring as watching her was, it worked wonders for keeping spirits high. Everyone was considerably happier, and there was certainly never a dull moment. Even though we'd had Zelos to fill all of the empty silences, nothing compared to Colette's constant positive energy. It was definitely contagious.

"You've been to Meltokio already, Colette," Lloyd pointed out one time. He had an amused smile on his face.

"Yeah, but I couldn't _do _anything!" she told him. "I only managed to cut in at random moments, so I don't remember much."

"Hmm, so you could indeed experience the world around you at times?" Raine asked her. The way Colette spoke, it did seem that way.

She tilted her head in thought. "Well, kind of. It wasn't like I was really gone anywhere. I was just sort of…locked away from my body. It was really dark and lonely, but…" She gave us a small smile and teared up a little. I noticed she did that a lot lately. Now that she could finally cry, any stir of happy emotion got her misty-eyed. "Strong moments seemed to pull me back, if only for a moment. Like you, Lloyd! When you gave me this necklace, it pulled me back for a minute, and I got really happy because I knew you were there, even if I couldn't see you."

Now Lloyd looked emotional. "Colette…"

"It must have been so awful for you," I said quietly. I tried to picture poor little Colette, floating by herself in a cold, dark abyss. It wasn't right at all. Such a thought made me uneasy. "Weren't you scared?"

Colette's eyes clouded over a bit as she let the memory come back to her.

"Sometimes," she admitted. "It did get lonely at times. But…I knew you were all there beside me, so I wasn't worried." That smile we had all missed so much showed up again. "Even though I couldn't see you, I knew you were there. That was enough for me!"

"Now you're gonna make _me _cry," Genis teased, although his voice wavered a bit.

"Ah, what's with all of the sappiness?!" Zelos exclaimed. "It's bringing me down, guys!"

"Zelos!" Sheena fumed, slapping him across the back of the head. "Quit being so insensitive!"

"No, Zelos is right!" said Colette, smiling at him. "I don't want anyone to be sad over me anymore, so let's keep going, alright?"

Lloyd gave her a long look before chuckling and nodding. "Right. Let's go, guys!"

It was that very day that we arrived in Meltokio. The eight of us stopped outside the city gates, which were now sealed shut. We all seemed to exchange the same nervous look before approaching the gates. As we did, the two knights standing guard drew together and stood strong.

"Chosen One," one of them said. He sounded a bit nervous.

Zelos nodded his head at him.

"I'm sorry, but I cannot allow you to pass. While it pains me terribly to say this, you and your companions are currently wanted." Even though we couldn't see his face, he still pointed it downwards so he wouldn't have to look Zelos in the eye.

"Of course," Zelos said with a sigh. "I thought so. Oh well, I guess we'll have to leave." He turned around and began to usher us down a side path.

"What now?" Lloyd hissed at him. "You said to leave it to you."

Zelos cast an anxious look over his shoulder to make sure the guards were out of earshot. He turned to Lloyd with a mischievous smile. "Now, now, just hang on. Like I told you, leave it to me." He shot looks at Raine, Sheena, Colette, Presea and me. "For my cute hunnies, I'll show you a special entrance. Follow me."

"'Special entrance'?" Sheena repeated skeptically. "Why do I have a _bad _feeling about this?"

We followed Zelos further down the path, sloping down until we came to a shallow stream leading out of a tunnel out of the gate wall. Thick metal bars covered the majority of the entrance, save for one spot big enough for a human to slip through which had been pried open.

"What is this place?" Genis asked.

"The underground waterway," Zelos replied proudly. "Waste water from the city flows out from here."

"Waste water, huh…?" I peered into the darkness of the tunnel, and then down at the murky stream before I realized what he was saying. "Hey, this isn't a 'waterway', it's a sewer!"

"Annnd my bad feeling is justified," Sheena sighed.

He shrugged it off. "Details, details. Point is, this baby connects to several spots all throughout the city, so we'll be able to slip in unseen!"

"This is a pretty good way to sneak in," Lloyd admitted.

"Yeah," Genis agreed. "But I never thought a pretty boy like you would wanna crawl through a gross sewer."

Zelos glared daggers at him before he continued. "It may be gross, but Meltokio's gates close at night, so I use this a lot to get back home."

"Why don't you go home until night?" Colette innocently wondered.

"Well, Colette, if you'd like me to show you, I'd be happy to educate you tonight…" He inched closer to her, lowering his voice.

"_Zelos!"_

"It was just a joke!" He winked at a boiling Sheena. "Don't get jealous now, Sheena~!"

"You've got to be kidding me!"

As the two continued to argue, Colette turned to Raine. "Professor, why is Sheena upset?"

"You'll find out when you're older," Raine said stiffly. She looked slightly red.

"Enemy presence detected," Presea suddenly voiced. "There is danger."

Zelos silenced his argument to add, "Nothing to be too nervous about. Just a few rats and other vermin crawling around. Don't worry about it too much."

Still, Presea looked wary.

* * *

Walking through that sewer was single-handedly the _worst _thing we had to endure through the entire journey. It was worse than almost drowning at the Seal of Water. Worse than having to deal with my poisoned arm. _Worse _than walking in on Zelos and that girl – in fact, I would gladly have that moment back if it meant I would get out of these wretched sewers.

The _smell! _I had made the connection that this place was a sewer, but I guess I didn't really realize what that would mean. We made our way along slimy stone paths that were surrounded in rancid streams of…waste. Take that as you want.

Anyway, because of this fact, it smelled absolutely disgusting. It took a lot of will power from everyone to not hunch over and vomit everywhere, myself included.

"Oh, this is _so _gross…" I moaned through my hand after having my feet soaked by a slosh of waste water. "I'm never going to get this smell out of my clothes."

"At least there are no monsters to fight," Lloyd pointed out. That was a good point. I think if I had to move my hand away from my face to fight monsters, I would probably just jump off the path and drown myself.

"We should be close to the exit," said Zelos. He was the only one not protecting his nose from the smell, so I could only assume he was used to it already.

"Thank goodness," I heard Colette mumble in relief. It was the first time she'd spoken during the whole trip through the sewer. Her sense of smell was probably way more defined than ours, poor thing.

"That guard back there seemed guilty," I noted. "We probably could have gotten through if we really guilt-tripped him."

"Aurelia," Raine scolded.

Zelos thought about it. "No, she has a point. A lot of the guards don't agree with the Pope, but they're too scared to do anything about it. He might've felt bad about it, but an order's an order."

We kept walking for a little bit until the path widened and a staircase leading up to an upper walkway appeared. At this moment, Presea stopped in her tracks and her hand flew to her axe.

"Presea?" Lloyd looked at her cautiously.

"Heheheh."

Before I could even process where the laugh had come from, three figures jumped down from above and landed in front of us. They were all haggard-looking men, wearing ratty clothes and shackles around their arms and necks. Each brandished a crudely made wooden club.

Even though they looked like they hadn't eaten days, I was still nervous about those weapons they held.

"What's goin' on?" Zelos demanded of them.

"I sense…danger…" So this is what Presea had been talking about?

The head of the group flashed his rotting teeth at us. "We've been waiting for you, travellers of Sylvarant."

"The Pope promised to lighten our sentences if we got rid of you," another added. "We've got nothing personal against you, but we need you to die!"

"Convicts?" Zelos wrinkled his nose in disgust. "Man, how desperate is he? Does he have no pride at all? Sheesh."

One of the convicts let out a snarl and charged at Zelos, his club flailing madly in the air. However, Zelos yawned as he easily side-stepped the attack and quickly ran him through with his sword – nothing too fatal, just a stab to the gut that caused the convict to double over in pain.

"Next?"

The two remaining exchanged a glance. Clearly the sight of how easily Zelos had dispatched their comrade did nothing for them because they charged us all the same.

This time, Lloyd and Presea joined in to lend a hand. Lloyd was able to nimbly dodge the sluggish attacks, and Presea had no problem hacking their clubs right in half with her axe.

"Clearly all you had going for you was the illusion of brute strength," I commented once all three were bruised and battered enough to stop fighting.

The three began nervously backing away.

"Now, now," Zelos chided. "Where are you guys off to in such a hurry? The fight's just getting started, right? I thought you had orders to kill me."

"W-We've learned our lesson!" one of them stammered.

Zelos continued to approach them, if only to freak them out. I knew he didn't plan on actually killing them.

"I don't know about Lloyd and little one here, but I'm barely warmed up~!"

Lloyd sounded his agreement, while Presea suddenly tensed and looked up at the walkway. Colette, her angel hearing kicking in, whipped her head up as well and voiced the alarm Presea wasn't able to.

"Zel-!"

Before she could finish, another figure jumped down from the upper walkway and slammed Zelos into the ground.

Zelos grunted in pain as the fourth convict stomped his foot into his back, keeping him pinned down. The convict leaned against his knee and turned to glare intently at us.

Now _this _convict was scary. Where the other men were thin and ragged-looking, this man was a giant, and probably would stand to be over six feet tall if he wasn't hunched over. His long, wild mane of blue hair was barely contained at the bottom by a white tie, and his worn prison clothes looked like those of a child's when worn over his muscle. Shackles on either wrist kept his hands chained together.

The one thing that stuck out was his face, which was not harsh like the other convicts', but intelligent and refined-looking. It struck me as odd, but it did nothing to take away from his scariness.

"Don't move," his deep voice instructed. "If you move, the Chosen dies. Understand?"

Zelos had laid there in stun over what had just happened, but as soon as he heard this he began thrashing underneath the convict's heavy foot – metal greaves adorned either leg.

"Whoa, whoa, _whoa! _You think you can get away with doing something like this to the Chosen?!"

"One who plots the destruction of the world…can no longer be deemed the Chosen," the convict replied coldly.

"Not this again," I griped. "I bet that's what the Pope told you, right?"

The convict's silence served as a "yes".

"Hey Lloyd?" Zelos piped up. "If you abandon me here, I swear I'll come back to haunt you!"

Lloyd's expression of concern dropped in an instant and changed to an offended look. "I just had a sudden, violent urge to abandon you," he said seriously.

Zelos' eyes widened. "W-What?!"

Presea swiftly ran at the convict and swung her axe, causing him to jump away from Zelos to avoid getting hit. Zelos scrambled to his feet and ran to cling to Lloyd in relief.

"Phew!"

Lloyd looked irritated. He was probably still offended that Zelos thought he would just abandon him, and having him hang off his shoulders in exhaustion probably didn't help.

The convict readied himself to attack. His metal-clad foot lifted to send a powerful kick towards her when –

He stopped. His foot dropped to the ground as he stared in dumbfounded shock at Presea, who gazed fiercely up at him (as fierce as her blank face could look, anyway).

"Y-You're…"

Genis took the opportunity to send a fire ball sailing towards him. The convict was broken out of his daze and forced to dodge the attack.

"Ugh…retreat for now," he ordered the others. His voice sounded troubled.

"Damn, these guys are strong!" one of the other convicts muttered as the three of them fled up the nearby stairs.

The last convict's eyes fell on Presea once more before he shook his head and ran up after them.

Lloyd pushed Zelos away from him in annoyance and cast a cautious glance around the sewers.

"Looks like it's over, for now."

"Thank goodness everyone is okay!" Colette expressed happily.

I approached the stairs and peered up. "I see a ladder and some sunlight. It looks like that's the exit."

Zelos nodded. "Yup, that's it!" He rubbed his back, wincing in pain. "Gah, _dammit_ that hurts. That guy was strong!"

Instead of taking that obvious hint and healing it, Raine approached Presea and crouched down beside her. "Presea, did you know that man?"

She shook her head. "No. I do not recall meeting him."

"Well he's gone now," said Lloyd. "Let's just get out of here, I'm about to pass out from the fumes."

Everyone agreed that this was a fabulous idea and proceeded up the stairs. We remained cautious in case the convicts were still around, but we managed to make it safely up the ladder (albeit with complaints from Zelos about his back and how Lloyd should carry him) and into the bright sunlight of Meltokio.

The first thing I did when I climbed out of that awful sewer was take a huge mouthful of fresh, wonderful, glorious air. It was slightly tainted by our own odours, but it was still like heaven after that overwhelming sewer.

"We finally made it into the city," Lloyd breathed in relief.

"Yeah, now we can meet my friends!" said Sheena. She looked pleased at the thought of it.

"Wait a minute," Zelos protested. "I'm not going anywhere until I can go home and take a nice long bath and wash all of this grime off of me. It's disgusting! And someone needs to heal my back because it hurts like a b-!"

"Oh quit whining, Zelos," Sheena cut him off. "This is more important. You can do all that afterwards, alright?"

"Besides, we're wanted criminals in this city," Raine pointed out. "We need to act quickly so we can accomplish what we really came here for before we are discovered. This must come first."

He sighed dejectedly. "This sucks."

"Where are your friends, Sheena?" Colette asked.

"At a place called the Elemental Research Laboratory," she replied. "I learned my summoning arts there. It's also were Corrine was born."

On cue, Corrine puffed into existence and growled, "Sheena, _please_ don't make me go back there!"

"Corrine, I'm not going to let them experiment on you, so relax." She smiled gently at him. "We just need their help to get across the bridge, that's all."

He relaxed a little, but scurried into her kimono nervously all the same.

"What I wouldn't give to be him right now," Zelos said wistfully.

"Shut it Zelos, or your back's going to be in much worse condition!"

"Let's get going to this Elemental Research Laboratory," said Lloyd before the fight could continue. "Zelos, do you know a discreet way we can get there?"

"Leave it to me, bud! The Great Zelos will lead the way!"

And lead he did. He had us follow him through a series of side roads and hidden paths on which I definitely would have gotten lost. The good thing was that we went mostly unseen, and any people we did come across didn't seem to notice us. We made it to the laboratory in no time.

The inside lobby was dim, but well-furnished nonetheless. The floors were a polished stone, that I feared we were getting incredibly dirty, and intricate carvings and designs adorned the stone walls. A blonde secretary stood behind a solid wood desk speaking to a man dressed in all red. Every inch of skin was covered except for his eyes.

"Sheena!" he said in surprise. "It's you!"

She gave him a confused look. "Kuchinawa? Why are you here?"

"I'm on a top-secret mission," he explained. "What about you?"

"Ah, I'm in a bit of trouble, actually," she admitted. "My friends and I need to get across the bridge."

The ninja looked over at us as if just noticing we were there. "Friends? Hmm, they're not from Mizuho."

"They're from Sylvarant." Sheena turned towards the rest of us and gestured at the man. "Everyone! This is a friend from Mizuho. His name is Kuchinawa."

Kuchinawa eyes squinted, which I assumed meant he was smiling. "Sheena and I grew up together. Pleased to meet you."

Lloyd grinned. "It's nice to meet you too, Kuchinawa!"

"I'd love to stay and talk a bit," Sheena told him, "but I need to go talk to the people in the laboratory."

"In that case, I'll come with you."

"Okay." Sheena nodded towards us, and the two headed down a nearby staircase into the staircase.

A minute passed and Lloyd said, "Let's go listen too."

We followed them down the stairs, which led to a laboratory filled with pipes and beakers that contained all different colors of liquids. It looked much like the lab at the academy in Sybak, but with much better lighting.

Sheena stood speaking with two half-elf researchers, with Kuchinawa nowhere in sight.

"That's insane!" she exclaimed in outrage. The green-haired man looked impatient with her protest.

Lloyd looked worried. "What's wrong?"

Hearing Lloyd's voice, Sheena perked up and whirled around with a scowl on her face. "Listen to this! They want us to cross the sea in an Elemental Cargo!"

"An elemn what?" Lloyd asked blankly,

"Elemental Cargo, typically called EC," Presea recited, as though out of a book. "It is a compact transport vehicle controlled by Exspheres. Its maximum load weight is 1400kg and maximum speed is more than three times faster than an upgraded Exsphere-equipped carriage. They are currently used primarily by companies for delivery."

My eyebrows lifted in surprise. That had to have been the most I'd ever heard her say at once…or ever, for that matter.

"Hey!" Zelos protested. "What are we, packages? This is so not cool!"

The man exchanged a look with his violet-haired partner before sighing. "The Elemental Cargo absorbs mana from the atmosphere and ejects it into the air, producing a counter-reaction that propels it forward. So if we use Undine for that, we can get an EC that can surf across the water, thus delivering you safely to the other side of the ocean."

"'Delivering'," I repeated quietly to Zelos. "Hey, look at that. We really are packages~!"

He responded by glaring at me.

"S-surf…" Raine gulped, her eyes growing wide with fear.

Lloyd took in everyone's reactions and asked, "Isn't there any other way?"

"The bridge is closed," the man said simply. "You don't have the necessary identification to use an ocean liner. And on top of that, there are two half-elves with you." He looked pointedly at Genis and Raine.

"Three," I chimed in, which went ignored.

"Not that again," Genis muttered.

"That's the kind of world Tethe'alla is," he said apologetically. Emotion flickered across his face. "We, too, hardly ever get to leave this building…"

"I wonder why everyone can't get along…" Colette said sadly.

"Ah well," said Zelos, ever the "optimist". "There's no point in getting all gloomy. So will you make the modified EC for us?"

The half-elf stared at Zelos for a moment before saying, "If you'll wait a day, we'll have it ready."

He nodded. "Okay. Well in the meantime we can stay at my mansion!"

Sheena looked wary. "The Pope's minions aren't going to be waiting for us there, right?"

"We're going to have to spend the night in this city anyway," Lloyd pointed out. "So it doesn't matter where we are, it'll still be dangerous."

She didn't look too convinced. "Yeah, I guess you're right. We'll be back tomorrow for the EC."

With that, we headed to Zelos' mansion.

* * *

Sebastian greeted us at the door when we arrived, however I immediately noticed he seemed uncomfortable.

"Welcome home, Chosen One."

"Yo, I'm back," Zelos greeted. "Anything happen while I was gone?"

Sebastian stared at him in stun. "I…was instructed by the Pope and an emissary of His Majesty Tethe'alla the 18th to report as soon as the Chosen returned." He gulped audibly. "Ah, but other than that, nothing of interest has occurred."

Zelos waved his hand. "Yeah, you can just ignore that."

"Chosen One…" He hesitated before continuing. "May I inquire as to what happened during your absence?"

"Just the Pope being a pain in the ass as usual."

"There was a misunderstanding," I clarified. "He's been wrongfully accused of treason against the kingdom. You won't say anything, right?"

"I serve the Chosen One, not the Pope," was Sebastian's reply. I took it as a rest.

"Well, we've got some time to kill," said Zelos instead of doing the reasonable thing and thanking his butler for risking his life for him. "Who wants to go on a date with the Great Zelos~?"

"How about you take a bath, for starters?" Sheena jabbed.

"No one is going anywhere," Raine said strictly. "It would be dangerous to leave the mansion as things stand now. If you wish to kill time, then you can assist Lloyd, Genis and Colette with their mathematics."

Zelos sighed dejectedly. "Yes, Raine."

I looked around the entry hall, wondering what I was going to do to pass the time. It was then that I noticed the grand piano, which wasn't surprising in itself, but rather it was the horde of gifts piled high on top of it.

"Z-Zelos…what's up with all of those presents?" I asked, moving closer so I could get a better look at them. "Was it your birthday or something?"

He frowned. "Huh? No, it wasn't." He approached the piano and picked up one of the beautifully wrapped boxes. He gave it a shake next to his ear.

"Don't do that," I scolded him. "What if it's breakable?"

"Ooh, open it! Open it!" Colette said excitedly.

Zelos tore off the paper to reveal a box of chocolates with a pink envelope attached to it. I plucked the envelope off of the box and opened it up to read the letter inside. It was written in fancy, curly handwriting on pink stationary that was sprayed with a strong, gag-worthy perfume.

"'Dear Chosen One'," I read. "'I don't know what exactly it is you did, but I know that there's no way you're guilty. You are obviously being framed and I won't rest until you're proven innocent. Nothing will stop our love, not the Pope, or even the King! I will be patiently awaiting your return to me, my sweet. Be safe. Love, Your Dear Loretta'." I burst out laughing as soon as I was finished. "Wow, Zelos, this girl must be pretty special, huh?"

He blinked, looking from the letter, to me, to the chocolates. "Loretta? I have no idea who that is…"

Colette gazed in awe at the mountain of gifts. "Then, these presents must all be from people in the city to show their support for you! Aw, how sweet!"

"I see a lot of pink wrapping paper," Genis remarked. "I'm willing to bet there are more women's gifts in there than men's."

I wrinkled my nose and sniffed the paper. "This perfume smells like it's made from the ashes of a dead body."

"Let me see." Zelos took the letter from me and gave it a strong whiff. His eyes lit up in recognition. "Oh, _now_ I remember Loretta. Heh, she was pretty hard to forget, actually."

I rolled my eyes.

"So these presents are tributes from my hunnies!" he continued, turning to the piano. "It's going to take forever to open all of these! Oh, it's so hard being popular~!"

"You can open them while you're teaching mathematics," Raine calmly reminded him.

His face fell. "Aw, mannnn."

Before we did anything else, however, it was unanimous that baths were needed. The collective smell was becoming unbearable, and I felt like every inch of my skin was coated with a layer of grime. Sebastian had maids prepare baths for everyone. There were enough bathrooms for everyone to be able to take one at once (Sheena commented that she felt safe Zelos wouldn't be able to spy on her).

I, myself, savoured the bath for as long as possible. I was offered a wide array of fragrant soaps, and I couldn't decide which I liked the best so I ended up just using them all. I wouldn't really call in excessive, because it was probably necessary to scrub that much in order to get rid of the awful smell.

I must have soaked in that water for at least a half hour. Its warmth seeped into my bones and eased away the ache from battle and travelling. It was heavenly. I know I hadn't felt so strongly about this place the first time we'd visited, but after that sewer – I was nothing but thankful.

All of our clothes were to be thoroughly washed, even the ones we hadn't worn. We were given plain replacements to wear while they were being prepared. Mine consisted of a simple blue dress.

Now that everyone was freed from the smell of waste and garbage, it was time to eat!

Once we were seated in the dining hall, Raine healed Zelos' back at last. After that, he became occupied with consoling the many maids who came to him with tear-filled faces. Enough had gathered that he found the need to give a proper explanation as to why he was being labelled a criminal. I suspected he was only doing it so that he could turn it into some brave, heroic story by twisting all of the facts to make him seem like a god. I imagined it was what he did with the story of saving me from Pierce.

"He had me hanging over the bridge railing," Zelos was saying dramatically. "I was conflicted. He was a high-ranking Papal Knight captain, I couldn't just kill him! But I knew I had to. It was us or him, and…"

I drowned him out. What a load of crap. Hatfield was no match for Zelos in the first place, but I was too wrapped up in clean, wonderful-food bliss, so I decided to let it go. Instead, I focused my attention on Genis' hilarious attempt at conversation with Presea.

"Presea," he began. "I…I…I…I…I…"

"…" She looked at him expectantly.

He blushed furiously. "Ah, you're…p-p-pretty…" His blush deepened at having finally spat out the words.

She cocked her head. "P-p-pretty? What is that?"

"I-I-I'm…I'm complimenting you!" he stammered, growing more and more flustered.

She processed his words. "I see. Then you are p-p-pretty too."

I nearly choked on my food. I was forced to stifle my laughter when Genis sent an embarrassed glare in my direction. I formed a heart with my hands in response.

After dinner, Zelos was forced to help the students with their math, much to his annoyance. As much as he complained though, he couldn't deny that he was really good at it.

Even though we each got out separate rooms, Colette insisted that she wanted to share a room with me for old times' sake.

"Colette, you're living the high-end life right now," Zelos told her. "You can have an entire wing to yourself; if that's what you want, Little Angel."

She shook her head. "Thanks so much, Zelos!" she said with a smile. "You're so kind. But I haven't shared a room with Aurelia since we were in Sylvarant, and I just kind of miss it! It's fun, like a sleepover party!"

I giggled. "It's fine, Zelos, I don't mind! I miss our 'sleepover parties' too."

Zelos stroked his chin thoughtfully. "'Sleepover party', huh? You know, I happen to have quite a bit of experience with those!"

"Really?" said Colette. "Wow!" She turned to me. "Aurelia, maybe Zelos can – "

"No," I said flatly, shooting Zelos a harsh look. "Absolutely not."

"Huh? But why-?"

I flashed a fake smile at Zelos. "No boys allowed. That's a rule for sleepover parties, is it not?"

"Ohhhh," she nodded in understanding. "Yeah, you're right! Sorry Zelos."

"You ruin all my fun, princess," he sulked.

My "sleepover party" with Colette actually gave me a lot of comfort. The maids did up a room with two beds in it, so it felt just like a nice, expensive inn room. I sat in my bed and braided my hair while Colette chattered about millions of different things. It really felt like we were back in Sylvarant, ready to head to the next seal the following day. The only difference was that I had none of the guilt-ridden urgency from before. Colette had survived the journey, and was now back to normal. For the moment, we were relatively worry-free, at least compared to the massive worries we used to carry around in Sylvarant. It was nice, happy and fun – and it made me realize just how much I'd missed Colette.

I had an amazing sleep that night. In fact, I was _so _well-rested that I actually woke up half-early for once. Colette had woken not long before I did, and was currently brushing her hair.

"Morning!" she said cheerfully.

I nodded back at her. "Good morning!"

She hummed happily to herself as she ran the brush through her hair. As she switched hands to brush the other side, I noticed her wince as she lifted her arm.

"You okay?" I asked, motioning to her arm.

"Oh, yes, of course!" she replied. "My shoulder just feels kind of stiff, that's all."

My first instinct was to worry and bombard her with questions. However, I let myself stop and think about it. We were all too quick to worry when it came to Colette. A stiff shoulder? She probably slept on it awkwardly – it happened to everyone.

"You probably slept on it awkwardly," I repeated out lout. "Maybe Lloyd will massage it for you~!"

She blushed slightly, but probably only because I'd mentioned Lloyd. "Um, yes, maybe he will! Thanks for the suggestion, I might ask him!"

I laughed and shook my head. She really was clueless, wasn't she?

We finished getting ready before heading downstairs to join the other. Colette also must have had a kink in her neck, because she walked with her head slightly tilted. I don't even think she noticed.

We waited in the entry hall for everyone else to arrive. It was mostly Lloyd and Zelos we had to wait for, actually, as they always seemed to be the ones sleeping in late (well, I slept in a lot too, but I wasn't nearly as bad as them).

I occupied myself by looking around the room. Other than noticing that the gifts on the piano had disappeared, I found myself looking at a portrait on the wall of a beautiful woman with pinned, blonde hair and wearing a gorgeous red dress. A name was carved into a golden plate on the bottom of the frame: "Mylene Wilder".

"Mylene Wilder," Raine read from beside me. She too had been looking at it. "It would seem that this is a portrait of Zelos' mother."

"His mother?" I looked back at her for a moment before returning my gaze to the portrait. Come to think of it, I didn't recall Zelos ever mentioning his family. I think I did remember him mentioning a sister once, but it was quite brief and he'd quickly changed the subject. I knew he was certainly old enough to be living on his own, especially as the Chosen, but I was still curious.

"She's so pretty," I said. "I wonder what she's like."

"What are you guys looking at?"

I jumped about a foot in the air at hearing Zelos' voice suddenly beside me.

"Nothing," Raine replied. "Are you ready to leave?"

"Yup! Just waiting for Bud."

I raised my eyebrow. "'Bud?'"

"Ah, there is Sir Bud now," said Sebastian.

I saw now that "Bud" was actually "Lloyd", who was pretty much stumbling down the stairs. Poor guy – he never was a morning person, was he? And I imagined that having to get out of a luxurious bed in a big mansion in favour of sailing across the ocean in a cargo ship probably didn't make it any easier.

"You guys ready to leave?" he asked with a yawn.

"We have been for a while," Genis told him. "We were all waiting on you."

"Ah, sorry. Let's get going then!" He paused when he noticed the odd way Colette was standing. "Colette, what's wrong? Why are you standing like that?"

"Hmm? I think I slept wrong. My shoulder feels stiff." Her eyes met mine, and I had to stifle a laugh.

"Are you okay?" He looked concerned.

She giggled a bit nervously. "Heh, sorry."

"Coleeeeette~!" Zelos sang, sidling over to her. "I can massage that for you if you'd like."

I sighed, annoyed. "_No,_ Zelos, not you!"

His face was one giant question mark. "Uh…?"

"Forget it."

Lloyd looked from Colette, to Zelos, to me, before giving up on understanding the situation. "Whatever. Let's go to the Elemental Research Laboratory."

* * *

The green-haired researcher (I felt back for not actually knowing his name) waited at the top of the stairs once we arrived at the lab.

"Welcome back," he greeted. "Everything's ready."

Sheena looked around the room. "Where's the EC?"

"Kuchinawa carried it away already," he replied.

She looked surprised. "Kuchinawa has it?"

It was the half-elf's turn to look confused. "What? I thought Kuchinawa had talked to you about it, but I guess he didn't. Go to the artificial beach on the right side of the Grand Tethe'alla Bridge. Kuchinawa should be waiting there for you. Oh, also, take this." He handed Sheena something that looked like a small, metal container.

Lloyd leaned over Sheena's shoulder to look at it. "What is it?"

"What do you mean, 'what is it'?" the researcher asked scornfully. "It's a wing pack. You store the EC in it."

A wing pack. I remembered learning about those from Pronyma before. Using some kind of weird, Tethe'allan technology that warped the laws of physics and space using black holes (or something like that), you could store things inside the wing pack that were actually quite large, making it easy to transport them.

"In this?!" Lloyd exclaimed. "Is the Elemental Cargo really that small? How are we supposed to ride in it?!"

The researcher was gaping at Lloyd in disbelief.

"Ah, I see," said Zelos. "They don't have wing packs in Sylvarant, do they? Man, you guys really _are _a bunch of country folks!"

"Gee, sorry!" Lloyd said sarcastically.

Zelos laughed. "Don't get mad now! I'll show you how to use it later. This was actually what I planned on moving the rheairds with before we got captured. Anyway, let's get going."

"Wait just a second," said Sheena. "Come on out Corrine!"

She waited patiently for several long seconds until Corrine appeared on the counter in a puff of smoke. He shot cautious looks at the researcher.

"We're going to be gone for a while," she said gently. "Say good-bye to everyone."

When Corrine refused to speak, Sheena sighed.

"It's alright; they aren't going to do anymore weird experiments on you."

"Corrine, how have you been?" asked the researcher. "Look after Sheena for us."

Corrine responded by arching his back up and scurrying backwards across the counter. "I hate this place! I have Sheena, so I won't be lonely."

"Corrine! Don't talk like that," Sheena scolded him.

"Good-bye," he sniffed, and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

The researcher sighed. "I guess Corrine still hates us."

"That seemed obvious," Genis muttered.

Sheena thanked the researcher for the wing pack and we headed outside.

"That was where Corrine was born," Sheena explained as we walked through the city. "Or rather, made."

"So he is an artificial Summon Spirit," said Raine. "I must say, I was always quite curious, but never got the chance to ask. Tell me, is he the only one of his kind?"

Sheena nodded. "Yeah, for now, anyway. The Elemental Research Laboratory devotes a huge amount of their studies to Summon Spirits. They created Corrine as part of their research, which was obviously a success, but…" She frowned. "He suffered painful experiences during the experimental stage, so his memories of the laboratory are…less than great."

"Poor Corrine," Colette said sadly. "I hope he can forgive them one day!"

"Yeah," Lloyd agreed. "Especially since they helped us out so much with the EC. Man, I can't wait to board that thing!"

"You sure are carefree about this," said Zelos, which really meant something coming from _him_.

"No kidding," Raine said shortly. "It's ridiculous that we're going to be riding over the ocean in something that was designed as a land vehicle." There was a slight trace of fear in her voice.

"You think so? It sounds a lot more reliable than those washtubs," Genis laughed.

Zelos paled. "Washtubs? No way…don't tell me that in Sylvarant…you cross the ocean in washtubs?"

Raine gulped, her face looking green. "Just thinking about those washtubs is making me sick…"

Zelos looked more and more panicked by the second. "Aurelia," he whispered. "You guys don't _actually…_I mean…washtubs? They're kidding, right?"

"They definitely weren't fun," was all I said, trying not to laugh at his horrified expression.

Much to everyone's immense displeasure, we were once again forced to traverse through the sewers to leave. It didn't take quite as long, since we knew the path from last time, but it was still unpleasant enough that I felt like asking Sheena to stuff me into the wing pack so I wouldn't have to endure it a second time.

Boy would I be happy when we finally got our names cleared…if that ever happened.

* * *

"Kuchinawa should be waiting for us at the bottom of the right staircase," said Sheena once we'd finally arrived at the bridge. "That's where the artificial beach is."

We followed her over, only to be blocked off by a wooden gate and iron fence. A big padlock was attached to the gate, and a sign reading "NO PUBLIC ENTRY" was posted.

"It is locked," Presea observed.

Lloyd examined the lock. "Hmm, you're right. I'll take care of it." He knelt down in front of it and dug around in his bag until he found a couple of strange tools. Lock-picks, I assumed. He worked his magic and the lock was soon clattering to the ground, the gate swinging open. "There!"

"Wow! Lloyd, you're amazing!" Colette cheered.

"At least he's useful for certain things," Genis teased.

"His face loses out to mine, though," said Zelos.

Lloyd whirled around angrily. "What has my face got to do with anything?!"

We all started laughing except for Raine. She'd headed through the gate and was staring at the side of the bridge.

"You can see the bridge."

We followed her out to see that the side of the bridge was covered in these scale-looking objects.

"Oh, you're right…" said Colette. As she looked at the scales, a frown began to form on her face. "Are those…decoration-looking things Exspheres?"

Zelos looked uncomfortable. "That's right Colette. That bridge is…operated by Exspheres." He was considerably less enthusiastic about his explanation than last time.

"It's…a bit gross looking," she admitted.

"It certainly is grotesque," Zelos agreed. His eyes were fixed on the water ahead of us. "Although, knowing where Exspheres come from, I'm not sure if it's appropriate to describe them that way."

She suddenly looked guilty as she realized how it must have sounded. "You're right…"

He shrugged and headed down the stairs to the stone dock.

Kuchinawa stood waiting for us at the bottom of the stairs, with what I assumed was the Elemental Cargo in the water beside him. There wasn't really much special to say about it – it just looked like a small cargo ship, which was weird because it was initially a land vehicle.

"It took you long enough," the ninja said – rather impatiently, I might add – as we approached. "This is the EC."

"Hey Lloyd, try using the wing pack," said Zelos.

"Oh, okay!"

Sheena handed him the wing pack and he stood facing the water with immense concentration.

"Let's see…like this?" He opened up the cover of the wing pack and held it out towards the EC. Smoke started puffing up around it until it rapidly shrunk and was sucked into the wing pack. Lloyd let out a yelp of surprise and staggered backwards a bit, even though I was pretty sure there was no aftershock.

"Wow! That's incredible!" Colette exclaimed, her eyes probably as wide as moons.

Genis looked equally amazed. "Wow! How does it work?!"

"See? It just shrinks the object and sucks it right in," Zelos explained.

Lloyd didn't seem to have heard him. "It disappeared! It's amazing! This is so cool! Okay, now let's try bringing it back out!" He opened up the cover of the wing pack and held it out. The miniature EC shot out of the pack, growing as it did until it landed lightly upon the water. Clouds of smoke dispersed around it.

"Wow!" Lloyd went on. "It came back out!"

"Wow!" Genis and Colette echoed.

I giggled. "Wow, so they've travelled through a rip in space to another world, and _this _is what excites them?"

"Kids will be kids," Raine sighed.

"That's enough goofing around," Kuchinawa said – again, impatiently. "How about getting going?"

Lloyd nodded, eager to actually ride the thing. "Yeah, of course! Man, I can't wait to make use of this EC. This is great!" He was grinning like a six year-old kid with candy.

"You know you'll get bored with it in no time," said Genis.

"Yay we get to go out to sea~!" Colette said happily. "I'm so excited!"

As usual, with the mention of the ocean, Raine looked horrified. "We're…going out to sea, aren't we?"

"We are going out to sea," Presea confirmed, not seeming to understand that Raine hadn't been asking a question.

"Hopefully there are no poisonous fish this time around," I said lightly.

"Let's get going then!" Sheena pointed dramatically into the distance. "Off to Sybak!"

"Sheena," said Kuchinawa. "Take this with you." In his hand he held out a beautifully folded paper crane.

Sheena gazed at it with wide eyes before carefully taking it from him. "A protective charm?"

He nodded. "Yes. Be careful!"

"Kuchinawa…" She smiled a bit tearfully. "Thank you!"

"You should get going." He didn't really look at her anymore, and was already walking away.

Sheena stared after him for a moment before shaking her head and stowing the crane away in her bag. In its place she pulled out Undine's aquamarine. She summoned the water spirit.

Undine floated in the ocean in front of us, awaiting her orders.

"Please take us to Sybak," Sheena instructed.

"As you wish," Undine's musical voice replied.

We all boarded the EC, and then we were off – Undine's sparkling magic drifting us along the water towards Sybak.

* * *

**Thanks for reading. Bye! *waves***


	29. Unexpected Turn of Events

**Hiya!**

**So, here we are, at Chapter 29. I'm sorry to say that it doesn't have very much game plot in it, but I think I've made up for that by adding in some verrrrry important character development. You'll see why once you read it! I felt that this chapter was a good practice in writing original content for the story, but that doesn't mean it's not important for the plot! It sure is.**

**As for me, senior year is stressful already, but I feel like it's a rewarding kind of stress. I'm loving my classes and have been writing loads more lately, so that's a plus!**

**To answer your review, Solyeuse, senior year HAS been getting me down, but will in no way affect this story. No worries! :)**

**I also just wanted to take a quick moment to do something I don't do enough, and that is to thank everyone who's been reading, reviewing and putting this story on alert/favorites. I know some of you don't sign in when you review, so I can't message you and thank you, but I'm grateful to you guys as well. Thank you, thank you, thank you so much! I really appreciate it :D**

**With that being said, please enjoy!**

* * *

Travelling across the sea in the EC was…a unique experience. It _was_ used to carry cargo, so it was at least a steady ride. However, while it was meant to transport goods and merchandise, it was _not_ meant to carry eight people across the sea, and so it was fairly cramped.

Raine was by far the least pleased by the arrangement. She mostly remained in the cargo hold for the duration of the trip, as being on the deck reminded her that they were at sea and when she couldn't see water, well…she could at least pretend that we weren't at sea.

I myself found the sea breeze refreshing. I sat in the open top part, laying back and letting the sun shine on my face. It was nice to not feel any immediate urgency or dread. We still had Cruxis to be concerned with, as well as finding a way to save both of the worlds, I was happy enough in taking joy at the fact that Colette was in perfect in health and we didn't have any Desians or Renegades breathing down our necks at the moment.

The only thing that troubled me was what would happen when we reached Sybak. Pierce's words nagged at the back of my mind, and I was worried what Olivia would try to do once we got there. I would have to be very careful.

Since Raine was…out of commission, I'd agreed to help Zelos with Lloyd and the others' lessons. Still in my happy, sunbathing position, I alternated with Zelos in quizzing them.

"What is 2,649 divided by 57?" I asked, throwing the number out at random. I had no idea what the answer was, so I counted on Zelos to be able to judge if they were right or not.

Lloyd and Colette began scribbling furiously on their paper, while Genis calmly worked out the problem in neat steps. He was the first to come up with an answer.

"46.4736842105," he declared with confidence.

Keeping one eye shut to block out the sun, I glanced at Zelos for confirmation. "Well?"

"That's right," he said. He'd just finished working the problem out on his own paper. "You're pretty smart for a little brat, you know that?"

"Why you –!"

"Next question," I said hastily, before an argument could ensue. "Uhh…who was the third Chosen of Tethe'alla to complete the regeneration process?"

"We're from Sylvarant, how should we know?" Lloyd grumbled, but Colette's eyes lit up.

"Oh, that's easy!" she said excitedly. "Lucia Vayer."

"That's right," Zelos said in surprise. "Colette, how did you know that?"

"I was really interested about the history of the Chosen Ones here, so I read a bit about it in your library," she explained happily. Then her expression shifted and she looked worried. "I hope that's okay. I probably should've asked, I'm sorry."

He waved his hand. "Colette, you are most certainly welcome to any room in my mansion. And I do mean any room~"

"Wow, thanks, Zelos!"

Genis and I rolled our eyes at each other.

"Okay, Lloyd," I said. "You haven't answered any questions yet, have you?"

"Uh, sure I have!"

"Nice try. Zelos?" As much as I hated to tear him away from his flirting with Colette, we were supposed to be teaching this class together. "Have any questions?"

"I'm just the math guy," he said with a shrug.

"Then ask him a math question!"

"Fine." He heaved a sigh and straightened his posture. He thought long and hard about it before coming up with a question. He wrote it down on the paper, taking several long minutes to work it out himself on a separate sheet. Satisfied he knew the answer, he handed the clean sheet to Lloyd. "There. Try that one."

I leaned over to see what was on the sheet. I wasn't so great at math myself, so all it looked like to me was a mess of numbers and symbols. Still, I knew enough to know that it was a pretty complex equation – one that Lloyd definitely wouldn't be able to figure out easily.

"Are you kidding me?!" Lloyd blurted. "I can't do this!"

Zelos shrugged. "Oh well. I guess you're just not as smart as me, huh? I figured it out easily."

Lloyd's jaw clenched. Zelos must have known that a comment like that would work on him, because Lloyd immediately began trying to figure it out. His forehead was creased with immense concentration.

"That's your teaching method?" I raised my eyebrow at Zelos. "You just make him feel stupid so he'll get angry and try to prove you wrong? Isn't that kind of…I don't know, mean?"

"Why don't you ask Raine how much he's been improving?" he replied. "If it works, then why not, right?"

I opened my mouth, found I had nothing to say to argue against that, and closed it again. "Fair point. Lloyd is so stubborn that I doubt he'll give up until he gets it."

Zelos winked. "That's the idea, princess."

Sure enough, Lloyd continued to work on the problem the entire time we were on the EC, and when it came time to get off and continue to Sybak, he reluctantly tucked it away in his bag.

"I've never seen you so focused on your studies!" Raine said happily, having emerged from her hideout in the cargo hold. The sight of Lloyd doing school work was enough to wipe away all of her seasickness – if you could call it that. It was more of a fear, really.

"I'm not gonna let Zelos make me feel like an idiot," he mumbled moodily.

Raine raised an eyebrow at Zelos, who just smiled, stored the EC in the wing pack and started walking.

* * *

We were in for a surprise when we reached Sybak. Coming from me, one might assume that meant Olivia was waiting for us at the city gates. However, it was someone equally as unwelcome who was leaving as we entered.

"Kratos!" Lloyd exclaimed. He seemed as if he couldn't decide between being shocked or angry.

Kratos stopped, only looking faintly surprised to see us all.

"Are you trying to take Colette away?!" Lloyd continued. He drew his weapon and pointed it at Kratos, instinctively moving in front of Colette. Everyone else tensed as well, preparing in case he attacked without warning.

However, Kratos looked at the sword with disinterest and held up his hand. "I have no intention of fighting you inside the city." Without warning, he drew his sword with lightning speed and struck out at Lloyd, causing him to fall to his knees with a gasp of pain.

"Kratos!" I yelled angrily.

He ignored me and, sheathing his sword, looked down at Lloyd. "You still lack the skills to defeat me."

"Don't insult me!" Lloyd spat through clenched teeth. He scrambled to his feet.

"I merely speak the truth." He pushed past Lloyd, effectively sending him back to the ground. He stopped as he reached Colette. "Chosen One. If you wish to live, you must remove that worthless Key Crest."

Colette looked surprised for a moment, but her expression soon switched to determination. "No. I'm never taking it off. Lloyd gave this to me." Her tone was final – that was the only reason she needed.

Kratos shook his head. "Foolish sentiments." With that, he was gone.

Genis stared after him looking confused. "He wasn't after Colette?"

"I guess not," I said with a frown.

"Man, what an arrogant SOB," said Zelos. "Talking as if he knows everything…"

"Hey Zelos," Sheena spoke up. "While we're on the subject of ways of talking, why don'tcha do something about the vulgar language?"

He snickered. "Hey now, at least I'm having the decency to abbreviate it, right?"

"Lloyd, are you okay?" Colette asked worriedly. "He didn't hurt you too badly, did he?"

Lloyd struggled into a standing position. Blood soaked through the front of his jacket, but just barely. It didn't seem to be too bad of a wound.

"I'm fine," he said irritably. More than anything, I think he was just annoyed at the fact that Kratos had bested him once again. Which was understandable. Kratos had this way of acting like he was so effortlessly better than you – I had dealt with this a lot on Derris-Kharlan. Any time Pronyma would ask him to train with me, he acted like he was dealing with a child.

Of course, my temper probably didn't help that any. Lloyd and I were similar that way, I suppose.

"Just what is he up to?" Sheena asked suspiciously. "That's twice he's shown up and not done anything."

"It would be wise to be cautious," Raine agreed. "For now, let's head to the inn. We'll go visit Kate first thing tomorrow."

We headed to the inn. When we got there, we settled in a common room where Raine healed Lloyd's wound and we all ate dinner. As soon as Raine was finished healing Lloyd, he pulled out Zelos' math problem and sat apart from the group to work on it. This was where he stayed for the remainder of the night.

"Amazing," said Raine. She was watching him with wide eyes. "I've been trying to get him to take interest in his school work for years. What is your secret?"

"Well," Zelos began proudly.

"Being a jackass," I finished for him in a helpful tone.

He sighed forlornly.

* * *

The next morning, we made our way to see Kate. The whole time we walked, I was on edge. I kept expecting Olivia to jump out from every corner, or worse – Pierce. However, we made it safely to the academy, and my fears were calmed.

We avoided the main entrance – avoiding arrest was a big concern. They'd surely tightened security since the last time we'd been here, in case we tried to return. Because of this, we kept walking until we reached the secret passage we'd used last time.

Kate and the other half-elf were deeply into their studies. The sound of the cabinets parting caused them to jump in alarm. Kate peered cautiously into the darkness, looking surprised and a little relieved when she realized who it was.

"It's you," she said, placing a hand over her heart. "You startled me."

Lloyd stepped forward. "We saved our friends and came back with Presea, just like we promised."

Kate's eyes fell on Genis and Raine, who were taking in the condition of the lab with looks of slight disgust.

"Yes, you're right," she said in a surprised voice. "The strange mana produced by the fusion of elven and human blood…" She looked at Lloyd, and her eyes were faintly apologetic. "You really do have half-elf friends."

"I toooold you…" I said under my breath.

"I've heard the story," said Raine. "Presea's creating a Cruxis Crystal inside her body?"

"Yes, that's correct. We call it the Angelus Project," Kate informed her.

A shocked murmur rippled over the group. The Angelus Project…that was what Kvar had been working on. It was the reason Lloyd's mother had been killed, and why they were after his Exsphere.

"T-The Angelus Project?!" Lloyd blurted in alarm. His wide eyes were fixed on the blue gem attached to his hand. "That's…that's the project my mom was involved in."

Kate's eyebrows raised in confusion. "Your mother? But who…"

She trailed off as Presea, hearing the name of the project, shook her head quickly and pushed through the group to stand at the back of the room. She huddled against the wall, shaking.

Genis reached his hand out. "P-Presea…!"

Kate stared at the girl sadly. Forgetting what Lloyd had said about his mother, she continued, "The Exsphere itself is nothing special. It just has a special Key Crest placed on it. The Key Crest delays the Exsphere's parasitic process, which can take place over a few days or up to several decades. It seems this can cause Exspheres to mutate into Cruxis Crystals."

"A Cruxis Crystal…?" I breathed.

"Is the parasitic infection of the Exsphere the reason why Presea's emotional response is so subdued?" Raine wondered.

"Yes," Kate confirmed. "We have come to conclude that it is one of the side effects."

"So she's just like Colette…" said Genis.

Colette's eyes grew big. She looked quickly back at Presea and said, "Wait, so if we leave Presea like this, what will happen to her?"

"When the parasitic process is complete…" Kate refused to meet our eyes, and could only seem to look at Presea with a guilty expression. "She will die."

"That's horrible!" Genis exclaimed in an outrage. "You have to save her! What has she ever done to you?!"

Kate flinched. "Nothing. She hasn't done anything. She just matched the compatibility test."

Lloyd seemed to re-gather his wits and approached her. "You promised. You're going to save her, right?"

"Yes, I know." She looked conflicted, but at the same time I could see her resolve. "You were telling the truth about your half-elf friends. I'll keep my promise."

The other half-elf had kept quiet for the conversation, but hearing this caused him to stare at his co-worker in alarm. "Kate! Are you sure?! If you do that, you'll…"

"A promise is a promise," she said firmly. "In order to save Presea, speak to a dwarf named Altessa who lives deep in Gaoracchia Forest."

"So there are dwarves in this world too…" Lloyd said in awe.

Kate nodded. "Yes. He and I participated in this experiment by order of the Pope."

"Sheesh, not that pathetic old man again," Zelos complained loudly. And I mean loudly for him – he was deliberately raising the volume of his voice.

"Don't call him a pathetic old man!" Kate suddenly snapped at him.

Zelos wore a look of fake surprise. "Oh, my. That's unusual, a half-elf siding with the Pope."

She held his gaze for a brief moment before flushing angrily and looking down. "I…I'm not defending him. Anyway, have Altessa repair Presea's Key Crest."

"Lloyd, can't you fix it?" asked Colette.

Lloyd looked back at Presea. "To be honest, I can't even tell the difference between this and a normal Key Crest. It'd probably be faster to search for this dwarf, Altessa. He'd have more knowledge about it than me."

"Then it's settled. Shall we head for Gaoracchia Forest?" said Sheena.

Lloyd nodded, looking troubled. "Yeah…but this whole Angelus Project thing doesn't sit well with me. Do you think there could be a connection between the Pope and the Desians?"

"I'm wondering that too," Raine admitted. "It seems too odd to be a coincidence."

"It wouldn't surprise me," said Zelos agreeably. "That asshole is always scheming one way or another." He glanced sideways at Kate, but she was no longer paying attention.

"Well then let's get going," I said. "It's still early, so we should make some distance before it gets too dark."

"Presea…" Genis hesitantly approached the girl and held out his hand to her. She cowered away from it, her shaking increasing. Her face didn't show any signs of fear, but that shaking…

"Presea, it's okay," Colette said gently. "We aren't going to hurt you. We're taking you away from this place so that we can make you better. Okay? We're going to fix this for you."

Slowly, Presea lifted her head to listen to Colette's words. They seemed to be enough for her to cease her shaking and re-join the group.

We thanked Kate and exited through the secret passage. Aside from the confrontation with Kratos, I was pleased to note that the visit to Sybak had gone by without a hitch. I'd been absently worried about it ever since my encounter with Pierce, but it appeared that Olivia had gotten tired of waiting and left.

As if reading my mind, Sheena said, "We never ran into Olivia while we were here. Do you think she was just bluffing?"

I shrugged. "She must've been." Still, I found myself looking over my shoulder in a fit of paranoia. All we had to do was make it out of the city and I could breathe easy.

Suddenly a loud and high-pitched bark sounded out through the crowded plaza we were in. The crowds parted to reveal Noishe bounding towards us, his tail wagging and tongue lolling out of his mouth.

"Noishe!" Lloyd called happily. He ran forward to greet his beloved "dog", but Noishe suddenly skidded on his heels and took off further into the city. Lloyd stumbled to a halt and stared after him in confusion. "Noishe! _Noishe!"_

No matter how much he yelled, Noishe refused to heed his call and kept running.

"We have to go get him!" Genis exclaimed. "Who knows what kind of trouble he'll get into if we leave him?"

Normally Lloyd would be offended at the fact that Genis had questioned his pet's behaviour, but even he had to agree. "Yeah. Let's split up and go look for him."

We quickly split into four pairs and took off in the general direction Noishe had gone. I was with Sheena, who sent Corrine down a fifth path. We quickly and carefully made our way through crowded streets, doing our best to remain inconspicuous.

"It wouldn't have been a tragedy if Noishe had stayed in Sylvarant," I huffed as we turned yet another corner.

"At this moment, I'd have to agree," said Sheena. She turned the next corner ahead of me and shouted, "Noishe! Get over here!"

When I caught up to her, I saw Noishe stop dead in his tracks ahead of us. The three of us all stayed completely still, waiting for the other to make the first move. His tail twitched expectantly.

I took a tiny step in his direction, and he was off again.

"_Dammit!" _I yelled, taking off in a run. At least we knew we were on his path, now.

We followed him down several more streets before we finally caught up to him. He'd suddenly just stopped in the middle of the deserted street, and was now panting happily at us.

"Wipe that smirk off your face," said Sheena, panting as well. "What's the big idea, huh?"

I placed my hands on my knees and doubled over in an attempt to regain my breath. "You disappear for weeks at a time, and the one time you decide to show up, you cause trouble. What do you have to say for yourself?!"

He stared blankly at me.

"He can't talk," Sheena pointed out.

"I was caught up in the moment," I admitted.

"It's about time you showed up."

A wave of nausea rolled over me at the voice that suddenly echoed around us. _No, no, no, no, nononononono – _

Olivia stepped out of the darkness of the concealing alley and into the sunlight. She looked much the same as before – strong, intimidating, beautiful, and infuriatingly smug.

"You!" Sheena exclaimed, reaching for her cards.

Olivia held up her hand. "Ah. I wouldn't."

As she said this, Pierce stepped out of the alley opposite to her, leaving Sheena, Noishe and I trapped in the middle of the street. Noishe growled defensively.

"Don't fight," I warned Sheena quietly. "She's stronger than she looks."

My warning to Sheena wasn't necessary. She slowly stowed the cards back into her kimono, but I noticed that she held Undine's aquamarine clutched firmly in her hand.

"You've gotten smarter since our last meeting," Olivia observed. "I was thinking I'd have to put your arm out of commission again."

Part of what she said was true – I was wiser to her tricks this time around, and I knew that she was simply trying to get a rise out of me.

"Not necessary," I said. "Now, what's this I hear about you wanting to talk to me?"

"Oh good, you got my message." Her emerald eyes flicked over to Sheena momentarily before she spoke again. "I was hoping you'd come alone, but I guess I've earned your distrust, so it can't be helped."

I glanced back at Pierce, who smiled and waved. "Is it any mystery why?"

She laughed. "Of course not. Pierce acted out of line and was aptly punished for it. He's learned his lesson – although, I can imagine you're not only talking about that…" She trailed off, not needing to say anything else.

"You killed Devin," I said venomously. I hadn't meant to let my anger get the better of me, but her even hinting at that memory was enough to make my composure snap.

"Aurelia," she said sadly. "Dear, dear, Aurelia." She shook her head and sighed dramatically. "How unfortunate. You blame me, when it was in fact _your_ blade that caused his heart to stop beating. Or am I wrong?"

My hand flew to my belt. Sheena's hand clamped down on my arm in an effort to stop me.

"Remember what you just told me?" she hissed in my ear. "That's just what she wants you to do."

I gritted my teeth together and dropped my hand. Sheena was right.

"What do you want?" I asked her impatiently. "We've got important business to attend to."

To my surprise, Olivia didn't respond with a witty or condescending comment. Instead, her face fell serious and she got right to business. "I suppose there's no delaying it. The truth is, there are matters about your past that I need to discuss with you."

"I'm listening," I said, making my tone expectant. Really, I was feeling anxious. What could she possibly know about my past?

"I _would_ prefer to tell you in private," she began. She saw my face and rolled her eyes. "I said 'prefer'. I know that is something you'd never allow to happen, and I commend you for that. You'd be stupid to think you could trust me." Her voice was a bit harsher than usual.

"Glad we have that clear," I shot back.

"Watch the tone, darling," Pierce said lightly.

I paled and clamped my mouth shut. I'd almost forgotten he was there.

Olivia smirked at my frightened reaction. "And that is why he's here. To keep you from being too mouthy. Now then, have you ever wondered why Lord Yggdrasill ever bothered taking such an interest in you?"

I paused. Come to think of it, I'd never really considered how I ended up being cared for by him. It was something I'd been so used to all my life; I never had a reason to question it.

"I'm going to go with 'no', judging by the look on your face."

"He…cared for me," I defended lamely. "I never had to think about it."

"Oh, give me a _break," _she said, looking totally disgusted. "That's what you call caring? You really are an idiot, aren't you? I have half a mind to – "

"Olivia." It was Pierce, his voice sounding bizarrely gentle.

That was all he had to say, and Olivia clenched her jaw in an effort to control her temper. "Right. I suppose it can't be helped."

"What are you talking about?" I asked. I was beginning to grow tired of her speaking in code all of the time. At the same time, her sudden anger had startled me. The last time she spoke about Lord Yggdrasill, she'd gotten inexplicably angry as well.

"Aurelia." I could tell she was fighting to keep her tone neutral. "There's a reason he's taken such good care of you. Trained you. Treated you like a fucking princess." She dropped her voice to an eerie whisper. "Wouldn't you like to know why you were able to operate the seals?"

"Could…could you really tell me all that?" I wondered quietly.

"Yeah, could you?" asked Sheena, but she sounded more skeptical than anything.

She smiled. "Of course. Because, you see, Lord Yggdrasill never cared about _you, _but rather – "

"Olivia. That is enough."

My first reaction was to be confused, because I didn't remember Pierce's voice being that deep. Then I realized that it _wasn't _Pierce, because at that moment a tall, burly half-elf with pointed hair and a short, pointed beard had stepped into the street from behind Pierce, accompanied by two men dressed in armour.

"Botta!" Sheena exclaimed. Her free hand hovered over her kimono, ready to retrieve her throwing cards if necessary.

I gaped at him. Great, first Olivia, and now him? However, I couldn't help but notice that he didn't even look at me – his gaze was locked onto Olivia, and it was one of carefully-controlled anger.

"And just what the hell are _you_ doing here?" Olivia snapped.

Pierce sighed. "I had just calmed her down, too. Great."

"I originally came for Aurelia," Botta replied. "However, it appears I have more trouble to deal with now that you're here as well."

"I'm the trouble? _I'm trouble?!" _She was practically screaming at him. "You're the fool who can't seem to understand that I'm trying to _help! _All you want to do is lock her up and hope the problem goes away, which we both know damn well isn't going to happen. I'm actually going to _do _something about it, unlike you."

Wow. I'd seen her angry, but never like this. Who would have thought that calm, pretty much emotionless Botta would be the one to get such a rise out of her by barely saying anything?

Botta had patiently allowed her to rant before replying. "What you're going to do is dangerous and unpredictable. If you're caught, Yggdrasill will surely kill the both of you. I am only trying to keep her safe."

"Can you both stop talking like I'm not here?" I finally spoke up. "What the hell are you both talking about, anyway?"

Olivia kept her glare directed at Botta. "Well, Aurelia. I was actually just about to answer that question until dear Botta showed up and decided to ruin things as usual. Botta, you just _love _playing the 'Protective Parent' card don't you?"

Botta froze, and his eyes widened with a shock I'd never seen in him. To see him displaying such emotion…it was odd.

For some reason, I didn't like the direction this was headed. "What do you mean?" I asked slowly.

She finally looked at me. That stupid smirk she always wore was still there, but there was undeniable rage in her eyes. The combination of the two made her look scary. A little bit insane, actually.

"After all of his attempts to lure you in, I'm surprised that he didn't try to play that card with you," she said. "After all, it seems to be his reason for everything – 'Oh, I'm her father, so I only want to protect her. It's so unfair that she's been brainwashed by the Desians and will never trust me. Boohoo'." She smiled cruelly. "Isn't that right, Botta?"

There was a thick silence that hung around us as everyone tried to process what was just said. Sheena had this blank look of confusion on her face; Pierce slapped a hand against his forehead and groaned; Botta couldn't decide whether he wanted to glare at Olivia or look stunned, so he settled on a combination of both and Noishe let out a low whine. As for me…

I had no idea what to think. Part of me wanted to believe that it was just Olivia trying to confuse the hell out of everyone, but at the same time, I could tell how much what she said had affected Botta.

"You're lying," I said, but I lacked the conviction I tried to put in my voice. "This is just another one of your stupid tricks."

"When have I ever lied to you?" she asked seriously. "I may beat around the bush and speak cryptically, but I have never lied to you."

I chewed on my lip as I thought this over. Technically, she was telling the truth. The one time she'd lied was when she said she wasn't taking me anywhere in Luin, and even then she'd owned up to it. I really, _really _hated her, but she never had lied to me.

But…did that really mean she was telling the truth? There was no way that Botta…I mean, was he really my…my _father?_

I looked to the half-elf in question for answers. He wasn't saying a word. It was like he'd forgotten how to speak.

"Tell her Botta," Olivia said in a harsh voice. "You _are_ her father, aren't you?"

For the first time since he'd arrived, he looked at me. He looked so vulnerable, which was _really _out of place on his strong face.

"…Yes."

Olivia laughed and clapped her hands together. "Aha! Perfect. See? I told you I wasn't lying, Aurelia."

"No…y-you're lying. Both of you!"I started shaking. The only reason I wasn't crumpling to the ground right now was because Sheena grabbed my arm to steady me. She must have noticed how unstable I was.

"Aurelia," she said gently. "I don't want to upset you, but…I think they're telling the truth."

I shook my head. "There's…there's just no way…it's not possible…" I felt like a broken recording. All I could do was continue to stammer the same words, over and over again.

"So there," Olivia was saying to Botta, cold and victorious all at once. "I've ripped off the bandage and told your secret for you. I'll be expecting a thank-you."

"Olivia," he began angrily. "I…"

"Save it. I have somewhere to be." She motioned to Pierce, who quickly walked past us to join her. She winked at me. "I guess this will have to wait for another time. But, you're welcome for the little tidbit I _did _get to share with you. Later." She took Pierce's hand, and the two of them faded from sight.

That left Sheena, Noishe and I alone in the street with Botta and the Renegades.

"Dammit, Olivia," Botta cursed loudly. Now that she was gone, he found himself able to show his anger. The only thing that calmed him was a quiet word from one of his men. This caused him to look at me; his expression softened. "Aurelia."

"What?" I flinched like he was going to hit me and moved to stand behind Sheena. "What do you want?"

He looked hurt at my fear. That one movement was enough to cause something to break behind his eyes.

"Not this," he said quietly, and as soon as he spoke his carefully controlled voice began to shake ever-so-slightly. "Not for you to be afraid. You…weren't supposed to find out like this. I planned to tell you myself."

"Then you should've," I said. "You had plenty of chances to."

"I know." He looked so guilty – I felt bad for being so harsh on him, but I couldn't help it. I was a total mess of emotions right now, and I needed someone to take it out on. He seemed the most appropriate person.

"How is this even possible?" Sheena asked. While I don't think she believed he was going to hurt me, she still allowed me to use her as a shield. "Aurelia was raised by Yggdrasill. If you're really her…father, then why-?"

"If it was up to me, that never would have happened," he said fiercely. I somehow knew that he meant it. "It is because of your mother's cowardice that you ended up living the life you have."

"My mother?"

He clearly hadn't meant to say that. "Do not bother yourself over her," he said. His eyes grew dark. Cold. "She has long since disappeared from this world."

So she was dead. I'd always dreamt of someday meeting my actual parents. I was content with Pronyma and Lord Yggdrasill, sure, but deep down, it always ate at me. I'd wondered what kind of people they were. And now, here I was. Botta the Renegade was my father, and I would never meet my mother. I felt sad over someone I'd lost before I ever got the chance to meet.

"How is it her fault?" was all I could manage. "What did she do?"

He began to speak, but was cut off by a voice crying out from down the street.

"Sheena! Aurelia! You guys found Noishe!"

It was Lloyd. He and Zelos ran down the street to meet us, but both of them slowed when they saw the Renegades standing there.

"You!" Lloyd yelled. He drew his swords and was fully ready to charge at Botta, but I held out a hand to stop him.

"Stop. He isn't here to hurt us."

Lloyd skidded to a halt. "Wait, what? Aurelia, these guys are our enemies, remember?!"

"Trust me." I didn't look at Lloyd as I spoke. I continued to stare blankly at Botta.

Zelos looked warily from me to Botta. "Well then what's going on here?"

I couldn't form the words to explain what had happened. "He…um…"

"I should leave," said Botta, saving me from having to explain. "I planned on reasoning with you so you'd come with me, but I see that isn't possible right now." He motioned to the two men beside him. "We're heading back for now."

As they started to walk away, I couldn't help it. I started and reached my hand out. "Ah, wait!"

He paused and looked back at me. He almost looked hopeful. "Yes?"

There was so much I wanted to say. Despite everything the Renegades had done, in that instant, those things weren't what I remembered. I remembered when Botta offered to help me return home, and had seemed so kind. When he didn't want to fight me at the Triet Base. When he saved me from Lord Yggdrasill in the Tower of Salvation. He'd always been trying to protect me, regardless of the Renegades' goal of killing Colette or capturing Lloyd. He'd never actually done anything to hurt me. I wanted to thank him. I didn't trust him, and I certainly didn't already accept him as my father, but…I needed to thank him.

Still, as bad as this urge was, I couldn't form the words. I just stood there like an idiot with my mouth hanging open.

He must have understood me, because he nodded once before turning and leaving.

Lloyd impatiently waited until Botta was gone from sight before exploding, "What was that all about?! Aurelia, Sheena, what happened? Why was Botta here? Noishe, stop that." This last part was added because of Noishe head-butting Lloyd in the leg continuously.

"Let's just find the others and get out of here first," Sheena suggested. "We can explain it to everyone at once. Okay, Aurelia?" Her brown eyes were warm. Comforting. I found it hard to believe she'd ever been our enemy.

I nodded. Everyone started to leave, but I found my feet glued to the ground. I couldn't make myself gather the energy to walk.

"Aw, here." Zelos came over and grabbed my hand. He practically dragged me along behind him, but I didn't protest. I didn't have the will to wrench my hand away, and I knew I wouldn't be able to walk otherwise. So, I let him lead me by the hand as the four of us, plus Noishe, headed back to the city entrance to find the others.

* * *

We set up camp outside the city, along the shore. I was glad Sheena had been there with me, because I doubt I would have been able to properly explain what happened. I still wasn't completely sure what happened myself.

"So that's what happened," Sheena concluded awkwardly. "Botta…is Aurelia's father."

Nobody wanted to say anything. Even Zelos, for once, seemed to be at a loss for words.

"So all this time, he's been trying to protect you." Raine was the first to speak. She'd carefully listened to the whole story with a thoughtful expression. "By the sounds of things, he and Olivia know something about you that you don't."

Sheena nodded in agreement. "And whatever it is, it's the reason behind everything that's happened to you."

I trailed my finger through the sand absently. "We probably would have found out, had Lloyd and Zelos not shown up when they did."

"Ah, sorry," said Lloyd. He sheepishly scratched the back of his head. "Kind of our fault then, huh?"

"Yeah, sorry," said Zelos, but his apology was a bit less heartfelt than Lloyd's.

I shrugged.

"I'm just happy no one was hurt!" said Colette. "When you guys mentioned Olivia, it had me really worried."

"Olivia acted so weird," I murmured. "She kept getting so angry, especially when Botta showed up."

"She acted hostile towards Kratos as well, right?" Raine recalled. "Perhaps there is a connection between the three?"

Speaking of Kratos, it made me flash back to when we fought at the Tower of Salvation. He spoke like he knew more of my family than just me. Had he known Botta was my father? And did he know my mother, too?

Instead of voicing these wonderings, I shrugged. "Maybe. I don't know. This whole thing is just exhausting." I moved some food around on my plate with my fork, but made no motion to eat it. Not even Sheena's delicious Mizuho noodles could lift my spirits at the moment. I was too drained.

"Then let's just stop talking about it for right now," said Lloyd. "If you're tired, you should be relaxing, not answering questions you don't know the answers to, right?"

I nodded. "Okay. Thanks, Lloyd."

With that, everyone settled into their regular, camp time activities. Sheena played with Corrine, Colette, Genis and Lloyd worked on homework (Lloyd, of course, working on the math problem), Raine absorbed herself into a book, Presea sat staring blankly into the fire, and Zelos tried to chat up anyone who was willing to listen.

I forced some food into me and then lay on my back to stare up at the sky. Not a trace of a cloud was visible, so the stars were scattered beautifully across the sky in complex patterns. The moon was there only in a thin, sliver of a crescent.

Listening to the waves crash gently against the shore, I opened my mind to a million racing thoughts. What kind of life had my parents led before having me? Was my mother in the Renegades, or had she been a Desian? How had she died? I found myself desperately wanting to know everything. I'd never questioned what events led to me falling into the care of Lord Yggdrasill, but now, I couldn't seem to stop myself. It was like hearing someone finally mention my mother had opened this gate which held back a flood of questions.

Unfortunately, I feared these questions would never be answered. According to Botta, she was dead. The only impression of her I had was that she was a traitor who'd selfishly given me up to Cruxis. But why? What reason could she have possibly had for doing that? Did…did she not want me? Had I done something wrong? And what of Botta? If it truly was my mother's fault, then why hadn't he done anything to stop her?

I searched the sky as if the stars would somehow magically spell out the answers for me. Alas, the only thing I was rewarded with was Zelos' grinning face blocking them out as he peered down at me.

"Hi," I said vacantly. "You're blocking my view."

He sighed and plopped onto the sand beside me. "No one else will talk to me. I'm boooored."

I propped myself up on my elbows and looked around. "That's because they're all busy," I told him. "Can't you find something to amuse yourself with? A hobby that doesn't involve shamelessly flirting?"

"I like to play piano," he said after some thought. "But, they're really not that portable."

"Then buy something portable," I suggested. "Like a flute or something. I think it'd be nice for everyone to hear some music once and a while."

He tapped his chin. "Huh. That's not a bad idea! Thanks, princess."

I groaned at the nickname and flopped back down into the sand.

Zelos didn't take the hint. Instead, he decided to lie down beside me and followed my gaze up to the sky. "So what are you looking for up there, anyway?" he asked.

"Answers," I admitted, "but it's not working out so well."

"Well, what kind of answers?" he pressed. "Maybe I can help~?"

I allowed a laugh to escape, but it sounded empty and fake. "Doubtful. Unless you happen to know anything about my past or my parents, because you're welcome to try, in that case."

"Parents, huh?" He stretched his arms back so he could rest his head on his clasped hands. "It's a nice thought, but you might be better off. They're pretty overrated, if you ask me."

I scowled at him. "How can you say that? You actually knew your parents." I thought back to the portrait of his mother in his mansion.

"So? I sometimes wonder if I would've been better off. Sebastian was more of a father to me than my real one ever was." He was speaking casually enough, like it didn't even bother him, but I couldn't believe he was so okay with it. Still, I found myself relating to his words. Just because I'd discovered that Botta was my biological father, that didn't change the memories I had of my childhood – memories that he was absent from.

"What about your mother?" I asked hesitantly. "I saw her portrait in Meltokio. Aren't you grateful for her?"

Zelos stiffened, and I immediately had the sense that I'd asked the wrong question. However, when he spoke, he wasn't angry. Rather, it was with an odd formality.

"My mother…was a good woman," he said rigidly. "Her only fault was having me as a son."

"Zelos…" I wasn't sure what to say. I knew I'd gotten myself into dangerous waters, and I didn't want to ask a question that would end up causing me to drown. "I'm sure that's not true."

He pulled himself into a sitting position, shrugging slightly as he stretched out his arms. Just like that, his cheery demeanour was back. "Ah well. Doesn't really matter now, I guess. Just try not to worry too hard, alright? Colette's been worried."

Sure enough, I looked over to see her frowning sadly at her paper, not really seeing the words on the page. She'd been listening to the conversation, no doubt.

"I…thanks," I said, smiling weakly. "I'll try."

Zelos nodded and hopped to his feet. "Great! Now, if you'll excuse me…" And then he was off to sneak up on an unsuspecting Sheena.

I hadn't known Zelos nearly as long as the others, but for the time we _had_ travelled together, he'd remained, for the most part, cheerful and slightly annoying. But at that moment, when he'd spoken about his mother, I felt like I'd gotten a glimpse of a strange, other side of him. How much of that optimism was forced? I had to wonder.

I thought about his words. My entire life, Botta had never been there. And my mother would never have a chance to be. There was really no point in worrying about it, but still…

When it came down to it, what little girl _didn't _want loving parents to cry to? When I thought about it like that, how could I _not _worry? This was the thought that carried me to sleep, where I dreamed that I was blowing out the candles on my birthday cake, and my parents had gotten me a brand new doll.

* * *

**Hey, I just met you,**

**And this is crazy!**

**But here's my story,**

**Review it maybe?**

**...**

**...**

**...yeah I'm lame, I know.**


	30. Paths and Labyrinths

**Chapter 30! I enjoy this chapter guys, I hope you do too :)**

**A lot more game plot. And some fights! Woo. Feedback on errors and such is welcome. I didn't have a whole lotta time to reread it at the moment. That will probably come tomorrow and I'll edit the crap out of it and repost it, with my luck. Sigh.**

**Anyway, yeah. Read on~**

* * *

"I am so not looking forward to this."

The sun was high in the sky as we made our way to Gaoracchia Forest. For once, Noishe was trotting happily alongside us, and I couldn't help but wonder if he was sucking up to Lloyd for giving us so much trouble in Sybak. Was he even smart enough to do something like that?

We'd been walking for several days, and I couldn't help but gaze in wonder at the beauty that was Tethe'alla. I know we'd been here for a while now, but I still couldn't get over the difference from Sylvarant. The sky was bluer, the grass lush and green. A sweet breeze swirled gently around us, keeping the sun from making us too hot. All in all, it was a beautiful day. My spirits were slightly dampened from the shocking news I'd received, but I was doing my best to push that information out of my head, and soon found myself doing nothing but enjoying the day.

Despite the good weather, Zelos still found it in him to complain.

"Not looking forward to what?" Raine asked him patiently.

"Going through Gaoracchia Forest," he said with a sigh. "It's so dark, and creepy, and…haunted." He dropped his voice and made his eyes go wide as he said the last part, directing it mostly at Lloyd and Genis.

Genis gulped. "Uh, h-haunted?"

Zelos nodded gravely.

Sheena rolled her eyes. "It is not. I've lived close to the forest my whole life and I've never experienced any 'hauntings'. He's just trying to scare you guys."

"Oh but it is," Zelos said seriously. "And Sheena, you should be most worried of all."

"Should I?" She raised an eyebrow at him.

"Yes. Because you see, one of the many ghost stories about the place tells of a ghost who enjoys snatching pretty women away."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yes," he went on. He pointed his finger at Colette, Raine, Presea and I. "You should all be worried as well. But not as worried as Sheena." His finger moved to her and he inched closer to her. "Because you see, the ghost enjoys women who are well-endowed best of all." He reached out and squeezed one of her breasts. "Hmm…yep. You'll definitely be in danger, Sheena. You should stick close to me."

She slapped him hard across the face. "I'll think I'll be fine, idiot."

"Is the forest really that scary?" I asked a bit fearfully.

Sheena cracked her knuckles before turning to me and saying, "He's right on that part. It's pretty dark and spooky, but it's hardly haunted. Why, scared?"

I blushed. "N-No! Of course not!"

Still, when the fields began to gradually change into sparse forest, I found myself on edge. It seemed normal enough at first, but the further we walked, the more I began to realize that Sheena was right. The trees had a dark, green bark on them, and the roots began to twist into the path we walked on. The branches above us wove together until they blocked out the sun completely, and it felt like we were walking at night, despite it being the middle of the afternoon. Soon, we were walking in near-darkness.

"I can't see a thing!" said Genis. Several moments later, I heard a thump and a cry as he tripped over a tree root.

Raine held up her staff and light spilled out from the orb at the top. It brightened the area considerably, but it made the areas beyond the staff's reach even darker.

"This place is creepy," said Lloyd. He glanced nervously into the depths of the woods. Noishe had long since abandoned us.

"Wow! It's dark," Colette commented in a bubbly tone.

"Colette, you're awfully cheery…" said Zelos.

She giggled. "Sorry!" Using her wings as illumination, she began floating further into the forest, with Zelos and Lloyd following behind her. We were all about to start out as well, but at that moment the others came face to face with…

"Whoops," said Zelos. "It's the Papal Knights."

A small squad of Papal Knights had rounded the corner, practically running right into Colette. She let out a yelp of surprise and jumped back. Looking over my shoulder, I saw three more approaching us from behind, making it a total of six. Great.

"Zelos, the Chosen," one of the knights declared. I assumed he was the leader. "You are in the way of the Pope."

Zelos chuckled. "You think that's news to me? I've known that since I was a kid."

"That makes things simple." I heard the shifting of armour as each knight readied their axes and spears. "It is time for you to die."

Zelos made an amused sound and pulled out his sword. "Whatever you say, dude. However, I think you might be surprised." He lunged forward at the knight in question, who barely had enough time to bring up his long weapon and block the attack. This initiated a full-out brawl.

Lloyd unleashed a blast of attacks on an unsuspecting knight, who wasn't as quick as the one Zelos attacked. He stumbled backwards, right into the welcoming range of Presea's battle axe. The huge blade easily sliced through the knight's armour and he was soon on the ground.

Sheena ran full-speed at a knight and did a flip in the air over him. She grabbed onto his helmet as she passed over and pulled it right off. As soon as she landed on the other side, she summoned Corrine. The knight turned around just in time for the tiny summon spirit to latch onto his face and begin clawing in to shreds. Sheena took this moment of blindness to send a flurry of cards at him. That took care of that one.

Genis flung spell after spell at one pesky knight who didn't have a problem in dodging them. As he dodged bolts of lightning and crushing waves of water, he ran closer to Genis until he was able to swing back his axe and cut him across the chest. He flew back, and Raine immediately went to his aid.

"Jerk," I hissed. I finished off the knight I'd been facing and ran after the one who attacked Genis. He was making his way towards Raine and Genis, but was stopped when I stabbed him through the back with my spear.

"Thanks," Genis huffed.

I winked. "No problem!"

I ducked as I felt a chakram sail over my head and slice into a Papal Knight who'd been just about to attack me.

"Sorry!" Colette called, wincing.

_Leave it to Colette to apologize for saving my life, _I thought drily. I straightened myself out and looked around to see all of the Papal Knights lying on the ground. Whether they were dead or unconscious, I didn't know.

"We won," Genis said breathlessly. "But what do we do now?"

Lloyd sheathed his sword and gave him an obvious look. "What else? Before they bring in reinforcements…"

"We'll get the heck out of here," Sheena finished for him. "But to where?"

"Perhaps Altessa's place?" Colette suggested.

"That _is_ where we were headed anyway," I agreed. "It would be pointless to head back now."

Lloyd nodded. "Exactly. Let's hurry on before they wake up."

With that in mind, we hurried away from the knights and deeper into the shadowy forest.

* * *

"This place is so creepy," I groaned. We were pretty deep into the forest at this point, and the only light came from whatever small sources we could conjure up. Raine's staff, Colette's wings, fireballs conjured by Zelos, Genis and I, as well as, to my surprise, the Sorcerer's Ring. We discovered this use for it as we stopped for a break in one of the rare patches of sunlight.

"The Sorcerer's Ring feels weird," Lloyd commented. He stretched out his fingers in front of him to stare at it. "It almost feels like it did during the seals back in Sylvarant."

Raine looked curious. "That's odd. I was under the impression that its only function was to be used by the Chosen inside the seals. Perhaps it is more that it reacts to the mana around it and draws power from it."

"Try it out, Lloyd!" said Colette.

He pointed his fist at a nearby bush that was covered in black thorns and thick vines. A wide ray of light suddenly shone upon it, and the vines began to shrivel and curl away.

"Hey! It emits light this time!" Lloyd announced as though we weren't all watching.

"That's pretty useful," said Sheena. "Who knew it would ever come in handy in a place like this?"

Raine was carefully examining the withered plant. "This forest is so dark, it appears that there are some plants that react strongly to light."

I recalled many times throughout walking the path of these woods where we'd had to climb over or around snarling tree roots and thorny plants. I had the scrapes all over my legs to prove it. The ring would come in handy for the rest of the journey through, for the bright light it provided as well.

Still, despite the newfound light, the forest remained quite dark. Zelos wasn't making it any better, with his "ghost stories".

"The Gaoracchia Forest used to be just a normal forest a long time ago," Zelos was saying to Lloyd and Genis.

Genis looked around doubtfully. "Oh, really?"

Zelos nodded. "But then, one day, a thief hid a stolen treasure deep in the forest." His face fell and a grave tone seeped into his voice.

"Treasure? What kind of treasure?" Lloyd asked curiously. He seemed a bit more believing of Zelos' story than Genis did.

"It was a jewel worth several billion gald."

I snorted, causing him to scowl in my direction.

"What?" I asked. "Sorry, I just find it a little hard to believe that there's a jewel worth several _billion_ gald."

He sighed. "You Sylvaranti are so naïve."

I felt my eyebrow twitch angrily. "I'm not even from –!"

"Anyway," he rudely continued. Jerk. "He slaughtered everyone who came looking for it."

"Whoa," said Genis. "That's horrible…"

"Over time, the forest became stained with blood, transforming into a cursed place, haunted by the lingering resentment of the people killed there." The spooky tone was growing and growing, causing Lloyd and Genis to grow more uneasy.

"Ugh, a-are you serious?" Lloyd gulped.

Genis laughed nervously. "Y-You're just trying to scare us…right?"

Zelos went on like neither had spoken, his eyes now fixed to an area behind them. "Even now, when travellers enter the forest, the thief's ghost comes to kill them. And the ones he killed also seek to increase their numbers…" He trailed off and lifted a shaking finger in the air to point at something over their shoulders. His eyes grew wide and scared. "W-What…?"

Lloyd and Genis gave each other one look before letting out blood-curdling screams and taking off ahead.

Zelos snickered to himself. "Sheesh, not even three year-olds believe stories like that these days."

"Zelos, you're such a jerk!" Sheena fumed. "You scared them really badly, go apologize!"

He shrugged and waved his hand in dismissal. "Yeah, yeah. Later."

So yes, Zelos' lovely "ghost stories" added to the overall…experience, of the forest. Another thing that really had me on edge was the fact that we'd been walking for a while, and every path we took was beginning to look the same. No matter how many roots we fried with the Sorcerer's Ring, we didn't seem to be making any process.

"This place is starting to feel like a maze," Lloyd complained when he and Genis finally returned to the group. "It doesn't feel like we're getting anywhere."

"You know," Zelos began thoughtfully. "There's another story about this place – "

"_Idon'tcare!" _Lloyd blurted. "_Ifit'sanotherscarystoryIdon'twannahearit!"_

Zelos blinked in surprise. "Lloyd, chill. I was going to say that a lot of people call this place the Labyrinth Forest."

Before Lloyd could protest again, Sheena surprised us all by actually agreeing with him.

"Yeah, I heard that too, actually. Apparently the tree roots and plants shift their positions around the woods to alter the path and trap people inside."

"Sheena, not you too!" said Genis.

"Why would the forest do something like that?" asked Colette.

"Because it's haunted," Zelos immediately replied.

"No it isn't," Sheena insisted. She looked like he was beginning to annoy her. "I'd be willing to bet that it has more to do with providing food for the monsters."

My skin began to crawl. "Well then how the hell are we supposed to get out of here?!"

"Let's take a straight path through," Raine suggested. "That way if we come across any plants in our path, we can use the Sorcerer's Ring to burn them away."

With this plan in mind, we pushed onwards through the woods with Sheena and Lloyd taking the lead. Using this strategy, shrinking back any obstacles we came across, and fighting back the various ghostly plant monsters we came across, we soon came to yet another fork in the road were Colette suddenly stopped, looking very alert.

"I hear something…" she said slowly. "Footsteps from far away…"

Zelos cupped a hand around his ear. "I don't hear anything.

"Colette still has her angel senses," Raine reminded him. "Colette?"

"They're definitely footsteps," Colette continued. "Also, the sounds of clinking armour. There are lots of them. It's coming from that direction." She pointed down the path we'd been about to go down. In the far of distance, a speck of light could be seen. The exit to the forest.

"That can't be good," said Lloyd. "Altessa lives over there, doesn't he? Could it be more of the guys from earlier?"

"I'll send Corrine out to scout." Corrine appeared in a puff of smoke and took off down the path.

As soon as Corrine was gone from sight, a rustle in the branches above us caused us all to look up in alarm. What little light that escaped through the branches was momentarily blocked out by a dark figure leaping down from the treetops. He landed gracefully in front of us, and as he straightened, his face came into view.

"That's the guy from the Meltokio sewer!" Genis exclaimed.

He was right. The blue-haired convict who'd attacked Zelos in the sewer stood before us. And Zelos wasn't happy about it.

"Man, _seriously?!" _he exploded angrily. "It's just one thing after another with the Pope! Am I really that much of a problem to him?!"

"I do not wish to fight you." The convict's voice lacked the deep authority it held in Meltokio. While it was still low, it was far from hostile. His tone was calm, and…refined? He definitely sounded like more than some lowlife convict. I was intrigued.

"Then why are you here!?"

The convict calmly ignored Zelos. His eyes were trained on Presea, who didn't look bothered by it. "I just wish to speak with that girl."

Lloyd looked from Presea to the convict in confusion. "With Presea?"

"You've got to be kidding!" said Genis angrily. "Or did you forget that you tried to kill us?"

"I cannot speak for any others," he began calmly, "however, _I, _at least, never intended to take your lives. My orders were to retrieve a girl named Colette."

Colette blinked, looking a bit nervous. "Me…?"

"I will do you no harm," he assured her, before looking at Presea once more. There was a slight hitch in his voice. "Presea…is her name, correct? Please, let me speak with her. I mean her no harm."

Genis didn't outright refuse him, but his hand hovered near his kendama all the same.

The convict approached Presea, but stopped when he saw the Exsphere glinting dully at her throat. His face paled, and subdued rage became more and more apparent in his expression.

"An Exsphere?! You…you are yet another victim?!" He started, his shackled hands outstretched as though he planned on ripping the Exsphere from her neck.

Presea's instinct kicked in and she punched his hands away. He recoiled, looking slightly shocked.

"Presea's in danger!" Genis shouted. His face was turning crimson red with anger. Already, a spell circle sprang into existence beneath his feet.

Lloyd unsheathed his sword. "I don't know what the heck is going on, but we have to stop this guy!"

"Um, guys…" I began, but my voice was drowned out by the sounds of their battle cries Lloyd charged at him and Genis cast Spread. A large pillar of water flung him into the air, but he was rather agile, despite his size, and landed lightly on his feet. He kicked Lloyd away from him with his greaved foot and the swordsman was sent back an impressive distance.

"Ah, dammit…" Lloyd groaned, clutching at his stomach. He winced with each breath.

I eyed the convict's feet and gulped. The way he looked at Presea's Exsphere…I didn't think he wanted to fight us. But now he was in self-defense mode, so I guessed that we had no choice. He would probably kill Genis and Lloyd if we sat back and let them fight.

I heaved a great sigh and unfolded my spear.

"Your ribs are broken," I heard Raine say when she rushed to Lloyd's aid. "We need to avoid being kicked."

I gulped again. Great. Just thinking about getting kicked by this guy caused my ribs to hurt. It was a good thing I was fast.

While he was busy squaring off with Zelos, I dashed up behind him and prepared my Predator attack as I ran. My spear was just about to connect with him when he suddenly whirled around and gave the end of my spear a sharp kick. I immediately lost balance and slammed into the ground.

Dimly, I heard Presea grunt and felt air blow over my face as she swung her axe at the convict. He flipped out of the way, rather than kicking it back like he did to my weapon, and focused his attention on Sheena, who had just been sneaking up on him.

"Hah! Mirage Seal!" Card after card flew at him, and he managed to dodge each one as he threw his own kicks at her, which she also dodged. He was only able to go so far began Colette's mana feathers began slicing at his skin. The slight falter this caused him was enough for Genis' Ice Tornado to lift him into the air, cut his skin, and send him slamming back into the ground.

I'd finally managed to stagger to my feet after Raine cast First Aid on me. Seeing him bombarded like that, I couldn't help but feel bad. I really didn't think he wanted to fight us, and especially not Presea; I could see this coming through in his fighting. He was holding back, I could tell.

Still. He slammed me into the ground. And that _hurt._ So I ran after him to relieve Sheena from his never-ending kicks. Lloyd arrived at the same time I did and we alternated in sending combos at him. Genis and Colette sent spells at him, while Zelos alternated between magic and running in and helping us out. After what this guy had done to his back, he was out for revenge.

We held the convict off while avoiding getting hit, for the most part. Occasionally, one of his attacks would slip through and his steel-clad foot would connect with my arm or stomach. Raine's healing kept these attacks from hurting _too_ bad, but I knew I'd have some nasty bruises when this fight was over.

Lloyd had just brought his sword forward to attack him when the convict jumped into the air with a flip and came back down, plunging his foot deep into Lloyd's gut. The kid let out a loud cry and doubled over. Blood trickled from his mouth from the impact.

"_Lloyd!" _I shrieked. I attempted to use Drill Strike on the convict out of anger.

However, he expected my attack, and was able to bring up his foot just in time to smash it right into my face. I heard the crunch of my nose breaking before I actually felt it, and when I _did _feel it, I wasn't even conscious long enough to see the blood begin to pour from my nose like a fountain.

I spent several minutes in darkness before I felt the unpleasant sensation of a life bottle trickling down my throat. I coughed, forcing my eyes open to see Sheena's face above me.

"You okay?" she asked worriedly. The look on her face told me that _my _face probably looked pretty torn up right now. "Raine healed the worst of it."

"My head is pounding," I groaned. I glanced around the clearing to see that the fight had ended, and the convict lay unconscious on the forest floor. "What happened?"

She jerked her head towards Zelos, who, like most of us, was covered with bruises. He stood triumphantly over the convict's body.

"That's what he gets for messing with the Great Zelos Wilder!" he boasted. "No one messes up my back like that and gets away with it! Besides, it's an absolute crime to disfigure a cute hunny's face like that!"

"Disfigure?" I whimpered. Just how bad did my face look right now? My only indicators were the blood trickling from my tender, probably still-broken nose and my swollen lip.

"I feel bad for fighting him," said Colette, frowning. "I really don't think he meant us any harm."

"He sounds like he has reasons for his actions," Raine agreed. "Perhaps we should take him prisoner? I'm sure he has much to tell us."

At that moment, Corrine bounded down the path towards us. His tiny face looked urgent. "Sheena! There were a lot of soldiers, and they're all coming this way! Run away, quickly!"

"Looks like Colette was right!" said Sheena, grimacing.

"The footsteps…keep getting louder," said Colette.

Zelos' smirk slipped from his face, and now he looked nervous. "Uhh, should we get out of here?"

"But the Papal Knights are waiting for us if we go back," said Lloyd. He looked back the way we came worriedly.

Sheena looked from Colette, to Zelos, to Lloyd before finally sighing in frustration. "Okay, it looks like I have no choice. I'll take you to the village of Mizuho."

Zelos looked genuinely surprised. "Whoa there, Sheena. Isn't Mizuho a secret village, kept hidden from outsiders? Won't they like…kill you, or something?"

"But we'll be trapped from both sides if we don't do something," she told him. The conflicted look on her face showed that she clearly didn't want to do this. "There's nothing we can do but take shelter in the village."

"If you're sure it's okay," said Lloyd, "then please lead the way. Thank you, Sheena."

"It's no trouble." But the troubled look on her face said otherwise. She pointed at the convict. "Hey Zelos, carry the big guy for us."

"Me?!" he exclaimed, completely outraged. He crouched down beside the convict and began trying to lift his body, but he didn't even budge. "You want me to carry this ogre by myself? Are you kidding me?"

"Here, I'll help," Colette offered. She gave the other Chosen a kind smile. "Zelos will have a hard time by himself."

Zelos stood up and grinned at her. "Aww, you're so nice, Colette! We Chosens have to stick out for each other, right~?"

She nodded and walked over to the body. Placing one arm underneath his stomach, she proceeded to lift him high into the air with _one hand._

She perked up in surprise. "Oh, he's lighter than I thought. I can carry him myself."

We all stared at her in shock. Colette…little, dainty Colette, had just lifted this beast of a man over her head like he was a feather pillow, and Zelos couldn't even move him? I knew she had angel strength, but _wow._

"Haha…I see…" Zelos laughed awkwardly.

Raine sighed and shook her head. "Men are so useless these days."

"Come on, we need to go!" Sheena urged, while the three men in our group took offense to Raine's comment. Sheena was right, and we headed along the third path with the ninja taking the lead.

* * *

The woods gradually began to lighten while we followed the path Sheena had chosen. The trail was becoming wider and easier to navigate, while more amber-tinted sunlight was able to stream through the thinning trees. Still, I could tell that she was purposely leading us on a confusing, winding path so that there wasn't a chance we'd ever remember how to get here again.

"Where in Gaoracchia Forest is this Mizuho village?" Lloyd asked, after she led us through a particularly swampy path instead of the other, drier option.

"I can't tell you that," she said firmly. "We'll be there soon, anyway, so just be patient."

I frowned. Bringing us to her village was really eating at her. Her usual good nature was completely absent.

"I see you Mizuho people are as secretive as ever," Zelos noted cheerfully.

She didn't even look back at him. "It's to protect our unique culture. If you don't like it, you can wait in the forest."

"You've got to be kidding!" He paled at the thought. "I'll _pass_ on being left behind in the Forest of Death!"

"The odds of surviving alone in Gaoracchia Forest…twenty-five percent," Presea calculated.

Zelos shrunk back, giving hurt looks to both Sheena and Presea. "Ouch, don't say stuff like that, Preseaaaa…"

"You'll be fine!" Lloyd assured him. "You look like the type that just won't die."

"I'll second that," Sheena threw over her shoulder. Her tone was suspiciously less comforting than Lloyd's.

He scowled. "What? You know what they say – the pretty boys die young."

I wrinkled my nose, then decided against it when it caused me a shock of pain. "Are you talking about yourself?"

"Incorrect usage detected," Presea agreed. "Correction necessary."

"Preseaaaaa," Zelos whined again.

"Zelos, you are actually annoying the hell out of me," Sheena snapped. "Knock it off!" With that, she briskly continued on ahead.

Lloyd blinked. "She seems a bit tense."

"Her village is a really secretive place," Zelos explained with a sigh. "They don't allow outsiders there, _ever._ She's probably worried that her superiors will be angry with her for breaking the rules, especially since you guys are from Sylvarant."

"Have you ever been to Mizuho, Zelos?" Colette asked.

He shook his head. "Like I said, no outsiders allowed. Not even the Chosen."

"I wonder what it's like?" said Genis.

Zelos glanced ahead to make sure Sheena was out of earshot before lowering his voice and saying, "According to what I've heard, the buildings are made of gold."

I rolled my eyes. _Here we go_.

Colette's eyes grew wide with awe. "Wow, it must be really bright and hard to see."

"I bet it is," he agreed. "I also heard that men are called 'samurai' and women are called 'geisha'."

"Then Sheena's a geisha too!" said Lloyd. His eyes lit up like he'd figured out some great puzzle.

"And me, and the Professor too," said Colette. She bounced in excitement, nearly dropping the convict in the process.

I looked at Raine. "Aren't you going to stop him?"

"I don't know what you mean," she said. Even she looked curious at what he had to say. "Are his facts not accurate?"

"Obviously not," I muttered crossly.

"No, no," Zelos was saying to Colette. "I heard that girls are called 'maiko'."

She nodded in deep understanding. "I see. So I'm a maiko."

"And Genis and I are samurai!" Lloyd let out an excited laugh. "Heh, this is kinda fun!"

"What are you telling them back there?!" Sheena called back irritably.

"Nothiiiing~!" he sang in the most innocent voice he could manage. "I'm just, uh, filling the country folk in on what I know about Mizuho!"

She stopped up ahead to glare over her shoulder at him. I could practically hear the sound of her nerves being fried. Instead of saying anything back, she just clamped her mouth shut in annoyance and trudged up the path.

"Poor thing looks exhausted," I said sadly. "Should we stop for a rest? We've been walking all day."

"That _does _sound like a good idea," said Lloyd. He called out to Sheena. "Hey! Maybe we should take a break!"

She shook her head. "No, we're almost to Mizuho. We can rest once we get there." Her tone didn't leave room for discussion. She didn't even look back at us.

Lloyd sighed. "Well, at least we tried. Might as well keep going." He ran a hand through his hair and looked up at the darkening sky. "I really didn't wanna be in these woods after dark, though."

"The worst of it is over," said Genis, although he looked nervous too. "Like Sheena said, we'll be in Mizuho soon so we won't have to worry."

I hoped he was right. This swampy path we were on was beginning to soak my pants in mud, thus making me cold and wet. Neither was a pleasant feeling.

We walked until the sun finally drooped out of sight, plunging us into darkness once more. Fortunately, we only had to endure several minutes of it before finally stumbling upon the village of Mizuho.

The village was certainly not made with gold houses, as Zelos had ludicrously suggested. Through the darkness, I could make out modest stone shacks with straw roofs. Shallow streams ran throughout the village, underneath bridges and around houses. I saw many vegetable patches, and torches lined the village walkway. Fences forged from plant chutes were erected around the village that blended into the trees around it and basically camouflaged it. It was a quaint, modest village and I could easily see how it could remain so well-hidden.

A ninja appeared from seemingly nowhere as we entered. He was dressed in an outfit much like Kuchinawa, except his was blue, and his face remained uncovered. At the moment, the face was tight with barely-controlled anger.

"Sheena," he began angrily. The moment he spoke, his control snapped and he was shouting at her. "What is the meaning of this?! How could you bring outsiders to the village?!"

I saw the flinch shake her body, but she stood her ground. "I'm prepared to accept my punishment. Inform the Vice-Chief. I've brought the travellers from Sylvarant."

This was enough to cause the man to pause. "From Sylvarant? You all are from the dying world of Sylvarant?"

"Well, except for me and little one here," Zelos piped up.

"I see." The man's jaw worked as he decided what to do. "Sheena, come with me. The rest of you, wait in front of the Chief's house."

We followed the pair as far as the supposed Chief's house – a shack much bigger than the rest of them. However, while Sheena followed the ninja inside, we were forced to wait outside.

"It's cold," Zelos complained. For once, I had to second his complaining. Couldn't they have given us a nice house to wait in or something?

All thoughts of being cold vanished as Colette dropped the convict onto the ground and he began to stir.

She brought her hands to her mouth. "Whoops! I hope I didn't hurt him!"

_I don't, _I thought bitterly, carefully bringing a hand up to my destroyed nose.

The convict shifted on the ground, his eyelids fluttering open. He squinted around the darkness at all of us in confusion.

"Oh, he's awake!" was Colette's brilliant observation. She crouched down to look at him.

He gave his head a shake and eyed us all warily. "Wh…where am I?"

"You're our prisoner," Lloyd informed him. "Don't try anything funny."

The convict gave him a dry look. "I like to think that I'm smart enough not to start trouble when I don't understand the situation."

It was as if every eye in the group was magnetically drawn to Lloyd.

"Hey Lloyd," I said. "Remember that time you almost got us killed by Yuan by starting trouble when you didn't understand the situation?"

He narrowed his eyes. "Yeah, thanks, Aurelia."

"What's your name, anyway?" Colette asked, doing her best to be friendly.

He looked cautiously around the group. "It's Regal."

"Well, it's nice to meet you! I'm Colette!"

"Colette," Raine warned.

"He's a dangerous convict who tried to kidnap you," said Genis. "Be more careful, would you?"

"I apologize for my actions," he said, bowing his head. "I am aware that I am your prisoner and shall not attempt to fight you."

"G-Good," said Genis. I knew he didn't trust the man one bit.

As for me, I didn't feel like he was a bad person. I mean, he'd obviously done _something_ to get himself locked up, but he seemed very polite and had an intelligent way of speaking. Perhaps there was more to him than met the eye.

At the same time, I was pissed at him for breaking my nose so I was a bit on the fence.

"The Vice-Chief is ready to see you."

I jumped. The blue-clad ninja from before appeared before us, seemingly out of thin air. He was so quiet; I hadn't even heard the wooden door of the Chief's house open.

Lloyd opened his mouth to respond, but the ninja turned and silently re-entered the house.

We followed him through the door into an entryway with packed dirt flooring. The walls were made of grey stone that was chipped and cracked in some places, with thick wooden beams supporting the roof. I could see the entrance to the main room, and the floor was raised up higher, having an actual floor to it. From where I stood, it looked like stone covered in a carpet of straw.

The ninja held his hand up to stop us from proceeding.

"Travellers from Sylvarant, you may enter," a voice called from the room. The ninja nodded and stepped aside to allow us entry.

"Thank you," Lloyd said graciously as he entered the room. He bowed his head in respect, and we all figured it would be best to do the same.

This room was much the same as the previous one, with the exception of the furnishings. Framed pieces of paper with writing on them and paper lanterns lined the walls, with a half-pyramid of chests piled up in one corner. In the far corner of the room was a mat that I assumed was meant to be a bed. Sheer green sheets hung from a wooden frame hid it from view, but I could make out the shape of a person. A glassless window was on one wall, covered with wooden bars.

In the center of the room, a man with straight, brown hair and a pointed beard knelt on a cushion. Sheena beside and a little behind him, looking nervous.

"Our leader, Chief Igaguri, is ill," the man informed us. "I, the Vice-Chief Tiga, shall speak on his behalf."

I glanced at the mat in the corner once more. Perhaps the sleeping figure was the Chief.

"You may sit," said Tiga with a gesture of his hand.

All of us settled into sitting positions on the floor, with the exception of Zelos. He remained standing, for some reason.

"Because Sheena failed to kill you," Tiga began, "we, the people of Mizuho, now face persecution from the Tethe'alla Royal Family _and_ the Church of Martel."

Sheena lowered her head, looking guilty.

Lloyd looked surprised. "Is that really true?"

"Yes," said Tiga. "At least from what I've heard."

We all let this piece of information sink in. So because of us, the whole village of Mizuho was going to suffer. I felt awful.

"I've been informed of the situation. I must say I am surprised, to say the least. It had given us much to think about. Before this goes any further, however, I have a question to ask of you." Tiga's sharp eyes scanned the group, taking in each member carefully before continuing. "People of Sylvarant, what do you plan to do in Tethe'alla, the land of your enemies?"

While Raine was usually the one with all of the answers, everyone seemed to look to Lloyd for the answers, even Raine herself. No one quite knew how to answer this, and Lloyd was the one who came up with the plan of trying to save both worlds. I could see the gears turning in his head as he tried to figure out how to answer him – after all, we didn't have much of a plan past getting Presea back to normal.

"I've been thinking about that for a long time," he finally said. "Someone else asked me why I came all the way to Tethe'alla…what it is I want to do." He paused to gather his thoughts. "I…I want a world where everyone can have a normal life. I'm tired of people having to become sacrifices. I'm tired of discrimination. I'm tired of people becoming victims." The more he spoke, the more he spoke with conviction, and a fire was soon lighting up his brown eyes. He confidently looked Tiga straight in the eyes. "I'm tired of it all.

A small smile formed on Tiga's lips. "You are an idealist. The worlds of Tethe'alla and Sylvarant flourish only by victimizing each other. So long as that structure remains the same, anything you say is mere sophistry."

Driven by anger, Lloyd leapt to his feet. "Then we need to change that structure!" he said hotly. "This world was made by that Yggdrasill guy, right?! If a human or elf built this, then we should be able to change it as well!"

Sheena whipped her head up in a panic. Lloyd had probably done something disrespectful by having an outburst like that. She chewed on her lip, no doubt anticipating the Vice-Chief to become cross.

Instead, he laughed.

"Hahahaha! You speak like the hero, Mithos. He was a sublime idealist. He ended the Ancient War by insisting there was a way for the two warring countries to coexist in peace." He raised an eyebrow, giving Lloyd an amused expression. "Are you saying you can become the next Mithos?"

"I'm not Mithos," said Lloyd. "I want to save the two worlds my way, with the help of my friends." He flashed a quick smile at us.

Tiga closed his eyes, letting Lloyd's words sink in. "I see." He remained quiet for a long time, during which Sheena fidgeted nervously. When he finally spoke, he appeared to have come to a decision.

"In other words, you aren't worried about following past methods."

Lloyd shook his head. "No, sir. I…I want to find my own way to go about this. I want to head down a new path. I'm not sure yet how I'll do that, but I'm determined to find a way. Things can't go on like this any longer."

Tiga nodded deeply. "You raise valid points, Lloyd Irving, and you speak with conviction. Because of this, we shall search for a new path as well."

Sheena slowly rose to her feet, wild hope fighting to break her calm expression. "Vice-Chief, d-do you mean…?"

"Yes. We will use our information network to aid you, on one condition."

"Really?" Lloyd's face lit up. "What is your condition?"

"In return, when the path of prosperity for both worlds has been found, we wish to move our people to Sylvarant," said Tiga.

"To Sylvarant…" Sheena murmured in surprise.

"But I don't have any right to decide something like that," said Lloyd, frowning.

"We believe it is what's best for Mizuho," said Tiga. He smiled reassuringly at Lloyd. "All we need is for you to aid us in our move. What do you say?"

Lloyd turned to face the rest of us. "It's not just up to me. Is everyone okay with us joining forces with the people of Mizuho?"

"If it will change the relationship of the two worlds," Colette said brightly.

"It sounds like a reasonable deal," said Raine.

Genis waved his arms impatiently. "Let's hurry up and decide so we can go rescue Presea!"

"I think it's a great idea," I said enthusiastically. "We don't know nearly enough about this – we need all the help we can get!" The idea of having an entire network of ninjas on our side finding out information was very appealing, to say the least.

Zelos shrugged. "As long as Tethe'alla is safe, I don't care what you guys do."

"Okay, then it's settled," said Lloyd after receiving a curt nod from Presea. "We're going to look for a way to change the two worlds. Let's work together."

"Agreed," said Tiga. He looked up at Sheena. "Then I hereby order Sheena to continue to accompany you. This time, however, not just as an observer, but as a representative." He gave her a warm smile. "Make us proud."

There was no hiding the beaming smile on her face. "Yes, sir!"

"But Tiga," said Zelos, "are you sure you wanna turn the Royals and the Church against you like that?"

"How about if I ask you?" Tiga challenged, his tone even. "Given a choice between the forces which wish to sacrifice one of the worlds, and the force that wishes to preserve both worlds, which would _you _side with, Chosen One?" The fact that he used Zelos' title showed that the choice should be obvious.

"I'd _like _to say 'the one that's likely to win'," he said coolly. The smile on his face grew when he saw Sheena's murderous expression. "But, I suppose I'd want to help the side that wants to preserve both worlds."

"Exactly," said Tiga, un-amused. "Now, the first thing we shall do is devote all of our resources to locating the rheairds. Fortunately, it appears that Sheena attached a guardian to at least one of the rheairds, so we should be able to locate them shortly."

"Understood." Lloyd, not knowing what else to do, bowed deeply. "Thank you, sir."

Tiga rose to his feet. "Now, I can imagine you've all had a long day of travelling. While there is no inn in this village, there is a spare room in this house you may all use to rest in. I shall have someone prepare a meal for you."

"Thank you, Vice-Chief," said Sheena, before anyone could refuse. "That is very generous."

The same ninja from before, named Orochi, led us back into the entryway and down a hallway we hadn't seen before. There were several rooms, concealed by the same paper and wooden doors, and we entered one that appeared to be an unused storage room. The boxes had been piled against one wall, and clean bed mats and blankets lined the floor.

"We don't make a habit of accepting visitors," Orochi joked drily. "I'm afraid this is the best we can do."

"Thank you very much," said Lloyd.

Orochi said he'd be back with dinner for us all, so in the mean time we settled onto our bed mats and talked about the day's events.

"So tomorrow, we'll head to Altessa's place as soon as the coast is clear," Lloyd was saying. He turned to Regal, who sat cross-legged leaning against the wall. "I'm sorry, but we're going to have to keep you our prisoner for a bit longer."

"Lloyd," said Zelos. "How about lettin' pops here fight, too? We've got the bruises to prove those feet of his can pack a punch."

"We sure do," I said sourly. I gently touched my face to find it still quite tender.

"Even though he might betray us?" Genis asked doubtfully.

Zelos jerked his head towards Presea. "He's got business with Presea, right? Then, he's not going to try anything before he gets a chance to speak with her, you know?"

"Actually, that's not a bad idea," Raine admitted.

Genis looked shocked. "Raine!"

Sheena, who sat on top of one of the storage boxes, frowned. "I dunno about this, but I'm not gonna make a fuss. I also started off as your enemy, so who knows?"

Lloyd took in everyone's reactions before turning back to Regal. "Well? Will you fight alongside us for now?"

Regal took it into deep consideration. His gaze drifted down to his shackled hands, then briefly to Presea, before he nodded.

"Alright. I swear upon my good name, and these shackles that bind me, I shall not betray you."

"You better not!" Genis exclaimed. "If you do anything even the slightest bit suspicious, I'll burn you to a crisp, got it?!"

He nodded, and I could have sworn he was fighting back a smile. "Understood."

"Well, then, welcome to our group, Regal!" Colette said cheerfully.

Several more minutes passed of talking until Orochi finally returned with a tray full of steaming bowls. A girl in a pale blue kimono followed behind with the remainders. They distributed the food and then left, after which everyone dug in.

I was absolutely overjoyed. I know Sheena had told me about it before, and she often made them for dinner when it was her turn to cook, but I…I'd never imagined that…

"I can't believe your main dish here is pasta~!" I cried happily around a mouthful of the delicious, heavenly food. "Mizuho is like a dream come true!"

"I wasn't lying," she laughed. "Why did you think I made it so much?"

I didn't respond, just hummed a jolly tune and enjoyed my pasta.

As soon as Raine was finished eating, she moved to sit next to me and managed to convince me to stop eating for no more than a minute so she could apply an apple gel to my face…well, several apple gels.

"That feels weird," I told her. It felt like a thick coat of slime was covering my face, but at least it numbed the pain and, hopefully, made it look not so horrible. I hadn't even seen myself yet.

"I apologize," Regal said quietly.

I glanced up in surprise. He had this really guilty, repenting look on his face. It was so intense that I felt flustered.

"Ah, it's…I forgive you," I stammered. "I understand that it was just self defense. Let's just move past it."

"Are you going home, Sheena?" asked Lloyd. "You should probably get going now if you are. I'd imagine you want to sleep in your own bed, huh?"

"T-This is my home, actually," she said awkwardly. "My room is just down the hall."

"Oh really~?" Zelos was sounding mischievous, what else was new?

"Are you and Tiga related?" asked Genis.

"N-No…" Suddenly, she faked a yawn and hopped off of the box. "A-Anyway, I'm pretty tired. I'll see you all first thing in the morning." With that, she walked quickly from the room.

"That was weird," I noted, but I soon remembered how stressful and tiring the day must have been for her. When I put that into perspective, it didn't seem so bad.

Speaking of tired, the long day of hunger and walking was really beginning to catch up with me. I lay down on my mat and was surprised with how comfortable it was. Everyone bid goodnight to each other, and the quiet night of Mizuho wrapped around us, carrying us off to a sound sleep.

* * *

**Yeah, so how about that actual game plot? And Regal?! :D**

**I was going to add a cliffhanger ending, but it failed miserably so I decided to change it and include the part later on. I bet the suspense is killing you, right? Right. Instead, you get a sort of crappy, rushed ending. Next chapter will be Ozette and such.**

**Anyway, as always, thanks for reading! Until the next chapter *tips hat***


	31. Ozette

**Hello everyone!**

**With this chapter, I've been trying harder to make things a bit more detailed. I think I've done a fairly better job (except for the end, which was rushed because I didn't know where to end it).**

**I've decided that I'm going to go back and start re-editing the previous chapters. Looking back, I realize there's things I want to change or expand on. The overall story won't change, I'll just be fixing up some things and adding in little details here and there. I'll be keeping track on my profile, so check back if you're interested in the changes.**

**I haven't had a chance to check over the second half of this, so please point out any mistakes so I can fix them! **

**Anyway, with that out of the way, please enjoy! :)**

* * *

As anxious as we were to leave first thing in the morning, we ended up staying in the village for a couple hours and stocking up on supplies. Our supply of gels, life bottles and other medicine was running low, and we needed to replenish our food as well. The vegetables grown in Mizuho were exceptionally delicious, and it turned out that the shallow streams running through the town doubled as an irrigation system. Overall, I was surprised and impressed at how smoothly things were run in this community.

The ninjas of the village were also excellent in weapon refining and repair. Now that we were working together, their hesitance to accept us was gone and they were happy to sharpen our weapons.

We ate breakfast as we waited for our weapons to be ready. The meal consisted of a fried egg on top of a bowl of rice. It was different then your typical bacon and eggs, but it was delicious all the same. I found myself really enjoying Mizuho's food better than regular food. Perhaps I'd missed my calling as a Mizuho ninja?

I frowned around a mouthful of yolk and rice. I wasn't really the most elegant person for that job. Then again, Sheena was pretty clumsy too, so maybe I _did _have a shot.

"You look deep in thought," Genis remarked with a small grin. "Whatever it is, your food is hanging out of your mouth."

I gasped, causing more grains of rice to fall on to my lap. Dammit.

"S-Sorry," I gulped. "It wasn't really anything important."

Lloyd, naturally, had eaten his food the fastest, and he took advantage of the free time to reach into his bag and pull out the crumpled excuse for a piece of paper that was Zelos' math problem. He paused as he examined Regal carefully lift his chopsticks (an interesting form of Mizuho utensils) to his mouth. The difficulty in this came from the fact that his wrists were still chained together.

"Hey Regal," Lloyd said with a slight frown. "It must be hard eating with those handcuffs on. Why don't you let me take them off?"

Genis shot him a cautious look, which Lloyd rolled his eyes at.

"Oh, come on, Genis. What's the worst that's going to happen? If he wanted to attack us, he could have just kicked the crap out of all of us!"

Regal looked slightly amused at the interaction. "Thank you, but I must refuse. These shackles are a symbol of my crime."

Lloyd eyed the chains in deep concentration. "A crime symbolized by handcuffs…?"

Regal didn't respond. His eyes had clouded over with some kind of dark emotion, as though a painful memory had arisen.

"Oh! I know!" Lloyd exclaimed. "You're a handcuff thief!"

Lloyd's stupidity was enough to break Regal out of his trance. He stared at the boy in wonder, his mouth hanging open slightly. "Ah…"

Lloyd took one look at the convict's expression before looking at the rest of us. Genis had his head in his hands, Raine rubbed her temples in an effort not to shout at him, and Colette looked just as clueless. Even Sheena, who clearly had a soft spot for him, was giving him her best "you're an idiot" stare that she usually reserved for Zelos.

I raised an eyebrow at him. "I don't think so, Lloyd."

He looked honestly surprised. "Oh, that's not it? Hmm…" His face lit up with another idea. "Oh! Then, you ran around causing trouble by putting handcuffs on people?"

"I'm sorry," said Regal. His troubled expression was completely gone, and he actually looked somewhat amused. "I suppose I should have said it in a way that was easier to understand."

Lloyd shrugged and proceeded to work on his homework. At least he wasn't _totally _hopeless. By the looks of things, he was really coming along on that problem. Granted, Zelos had invented and solved it in the course of less than five minutes, but it was still impressive for Lloyd.

I leaned over to say so to Zelos, but found that he'd passed out in the grass after finishing his breakfast. I giggled – I suppose he and Lloyd were sort of similar after all.

"Hey Aurelia…"

The whisper came from Genis, who was giving me conspiratorial looks. He looked very pointedly at the sleeping Chosen beside me.

I smirked. "That look you're giving me is kind of scary, Genis. What are you thinking?"

I watched his gaze shift from Zelos to a nearby dog that Colette was preoccupied with. I must have been hanging around these teenage boys too much, because I immediately picked up his train of thought. My lips curled into an evil grin.

"Oh you're cruel, Genis," I said, but I couldn't help but laugh. I held up a finger to assure him that we would follow through on the plan in a moment. It wasn't like he would wake up without one of us, anyway. We could potentially leave him here.

We waited patiently while the others finished eating and a ninja dressed in green returned our weapons to us. I marvelled at how sharp they'd managed to get my spear, and at how shiny the gleam in the blade was. It felt like I was holding a whole other weapon.

Orochi approached us soon afterwards. Sheena stood when he arrived, nodding her head slightly. It was more of a greeting than a formality – I could tell that, like with Kuchinawa, these two were old friends.

"It seems the pursuers have left the forest," he informed us. "Our men haven't caught sight of the Papal Knights since yesterday. It's safe for you now, but you should hurry."

"Okay, so we'll head to Altessa's right away," said Lloyd. The conversation was enough to drag him away from his attempts to show Zelos up – or rather, to better his learning.

"I…want to go home to my village," Presea quietly protested. It was the first time she'd said anything all morning. Her dull eyes were resolute.

Lloyd chewed on his lip with a worried look on his face. I understood what he was probably thinking – getting Presea to Altessa was important if we wanted to fix her condition. But at the same time, we couldn't just deny her request.

"This child is from Ozette, correct?" asked Orochi. When Lloyd nodded, he continued, "In order to reach the dwarf Altessa's house, you must pass through the village anyway. It will by no means be out of your way."

Lloyd breathed a sigh of relief. "Okay, then Ozette first."

Raine looked at Presea with that motherly look in her eye she often gave Lloyd, Genis and Colette. "Yes, Presea has undoubtedly been away from home for some time. Her parents must be worried about her."

Presea didn't say anything to this. She just gave a curt nod in response.

Sheena stood and stretched her arms out, her chest puffing out in the process. Had Zelos been awake, she probably would have been rewarded with one of his perverted comments. When I thought about that, it made mine and Genis' upcoming prank seem a little less mean.

"Well then, we should get started," the female ninja was saying. She looked at Orochi. "Let me know if you find anything, alright?"

He nodded firmly. "You don't need to worry, Sheena. Mizuho is on the case. Focus on the task at hand."

"Will someone please wake Zelos?" asked Raine. She piled her books into her bag and began to stand.

"I'll do it!" I volunteered. She looked a bit confused, but didn't question my motives. All she cared about was getting him awake and ready to go.

I exchanged a glance with Genis and nodded. The young half-elf went over to Colette, who was saying her final goodbyes to her new friend, and squatted down to speak with the dog. Meanwhile, I silently inched closer to Zelos until I was crouched beside him. I had to supress the urge to giggle when I leaned my head down, placing my lips right beside his ear.

"Zelos," I said softly. "It's time to wake up."

Surprisingly, this had been enough to stir him the first time. He blinked his sleepy eyelids up at me and smiled.

"Oh hey there, princess," he mumbled, still half-asleep. "Did you come to wake me up with a kiss~?"

I tried to keep my lips in as even a line as possible. "Actually yes. How did you guess?"

His eyes widened in surprise. "O-Oh, really?" He quickly let his shock leave his face and turned on the charm. "I knew you couldn't stay away for too long, hunny."

"Um, yeah," I said, almost rolling my eyes. "So, uh, close your eyes, okay?"

He smirked and obliged, waiting patiently for me to kiss him.

All the while, Genis had been coaxing the dog closer and closer, until he was able to guide the animal directly to us. He silently pointed at the Chosen's face, and the dog seemed to understand. It bent its head down and sniffed his face a couple of times. I carefully pressed two light fingers to Zelos' lips in an attempt to pass them for my own. They were parted, allowing enough room for the dog's tongue to escape from its mouth and lick both the inside of my fingers and Zelos' mouth, probably tasting the remnants of both of our breakfasts.

The loud explosion of laughter that escaped from Genis scared the dog and caused it to bolt away. I fought to contain my own wild laughter and quickly pulled my hand away, just in time for Zelos to open his eyes and give Genis an annoyed look.

"Do you mind, kid?" he asked, pulling himself into a sitting position. He ran a hand through his hair and winked at me. "Aurelia and I here were having a bit of a moment. What's so funny, anyway?" he added, because Genis was rolling on his back, laughing harder than I'd ever seen him. He was going to have grass stains at the rate he was going.

He didn't reveal our prank, though. He simply managed to say, between sobs of laughter, "I…I can't b-believe…she actually…she _kissed…you _of all…of all people…" He erupted into even louder laughter, and I finally couldn't help it. A couple of giggles escaped my lips before I could stop them.

He raised an eyebrow at me. "Am I missing something?"

"Hehe, nope~!"

He looked suspicious at my tone, especially since he knew how I usually reacted to his flirting. He frowned and glanced at the other members of the group.

Lloyd's face matched his jacket – that's how hard he was trying not to laugh, but having not known this was going to happen at all, he was failing miserably. Sheena, who had looked completely appalled when I'd agreed that I was going to kiss Zelos, was allowing herself to chuckle a bit as well. However, she tried to pass it off as something Lloyd had told her.

"Honestly," Raine sighed, pressing the palm of her hand against her forehead. Nevertheless, I could hear the betraying waver in her voice.

"That…was some kiss," was all Regal had to offer. He was doing better than anyone else at not laughing, but he still had an amused smile on his face.

Colette couldn't decide whether to be upset the dog ran away, or laugh at what had just happened, so she settled for smiling in the dog's direction. Presea, of course, didn't react at all.

Zelos' scowl grew by the minute. "You guys are weirding me out," he said. Then he decided to wrap an arm around me and pull me closer, meaning I lost my balance and almost fell into his lap. "It's like you've never seen two people attracted to each other before. Right, princess?"

"False observation detected," Presea finally spoke up. "Correction necessary."

Zelos looked at the girl curiously. It was pretty much the same thing she'd said about him surviving on his own in the forest.

"Whatever do you mean, little rosebud~?" he asked her. "Surely you witnessed that awesome kiss just then, right?"

"Interaction noted," she agreed. Her eyes rested on Zelos for a moment before moving to the dog, which happened to be rolling around in front of Colette at the moment. "Osculation between Zelos and the canine of unknown origin will be recorded in memory under the category 'awesome'."

Zelos paled slightly, but all he said was, "uh, Presea, it's not very nice to call Aurelia a dog."

I couldn't hold it in any longer. I burst out laughing. "Oh I'm sorry, Zelos, but she's not talking about me."

His eyebrows knitted together as he tried to figure out what the hell everyone was talking about. Then he froze, paling even further and widening his eyes at the dog in front of Colette. Everything made sense. He trained his shocked eyes on me and Genis, who were obviously the culprits. He pointed his finger between the two of us, his mouth gaping, as he tried to think of what to say.

"Brat," he finally hissed at Genis. "This was your idea wasn't it?!"

Genis doubled over all over again. "You should see your face! Oh man, that was too good!"

"Grr…" I could pretty much see the vein in his forehead twitching. His fist was clenched in anger, and I knew he was trying to refrain from smacking the hell out of Genis. Instead, he decided to exact his revenge on me. At least that way he wouldn't suffer the wrath of Raine.

He gave me what was supposed to be a charming smile. "Oh Aureliaaaaa~!"

"Ugh, dammit! Zelos, you stay away from me!" I scrambled away as he attempted to climb over me and reach my face.

"I deserve a real kiss after that, don't you think?"

"Get those slobbery lips away from me! I'm not kissing you after you kissed a dog!"

"You know you want to~!"

I heard Raine sigh again, but she was no longer amused. "Aurelia! Zelos!" she barked, causing us both to pause.

"Yeah?" Zelos asked innocently. He currently had me by the waist, his head craned around my shoulder in an attempt to reach my lips.

"Enough." Her tone was scary…and final. I pushed Zelos away from me and grabbed my bag, hurrying to find protection behind Sheena. I knew _she _would keep me safe from Zelos. Creep.

* * *

The morning's antics had everyone in a much better mood than the last time we'd been in these woods (except for Zelos, of course. He was still pretty pissed at Genis, but he couldn't seem to stay mad at me. Probably because he was planning the opportune moment to take his "revenge"). Not only that, but the fact that we had Mizuho on our side now certainly lifted our spirits.

"I hope they're able to find the rheairds," said Genis after we'd been walking for a while. He didn't seem dejected like such a comment usually would be – he really was hopeful.

"Mizuho's intelligence network is nothing to sneeze at," Sheena assured him proudly. "They'll find them for sure."

"I've heard some pretty incredible stuff about the Mizuho Intelligence Network," said Zelos. "Supposedly, they know the location of all of the treasures in Tethe'alla." He looked at Sheena for confirmation.

She nodded. "You bet! When we really want to, there's nothing we can't figure out."

Genis stared into the darkness ahead of him as he tried to imagine it. "Wow, that sounds like a great thing to have on our side!"

Zelos sighed dreamily. "I wonder if they could research the measurements of all the girls in Tethe'alla for me." He stared into the darkness as well, imagining something entirely different, I'm sure.

Sheena smacked him across the back of the head. "You stupid Chosen! As if you even need their help for that, pervert."

While the two of them bickered, I noticed Regal was continuously moving closer to Presea. He looked like he wanted to ask her something, but continued to lose his resolve and back away. Finally, though, he gathered up the courage to approach her.

"You're name's Presea, correct?" he asked her quietly.

She glanced up at him warily and nodded.

He swallowed hard before continuing. "About your family…"

Genis noticed the two conversing and was immediately all over it. He pushed himself between the two and glared at Regal protectively. "H-Hey! Get away from her!"

Regal didn't look alarmed. It was all he could do to not chuckle down at the boy. Instead, he placed a hand on his chin thoughtfully. "I apologize. So you're her little knight…"

Genis clearly sensed the amusement in his words and his glare hardened. "Don't make fun of me! I've got magic, you hear me?!" He waved his kendama in the air as if to prove his point. I bit my lip and hoped that the ball wouldn't go flying and hit someone. He was swinging it around like a crazy person, in his anger.

"Genis."

The half-elf stilled when he heard Presea say his name, the ball of the kendama dropping to hang in the air. He blushed profusely, trying his best to look fierce. "Ah, P-Presea, what is it? D-Don't worry, I'll protect you!"

"He bears no hostility," she said in her same, deadpan voice. She looked far from touched at his offer. "There is no need for combat."

"Ah…oh…" The red flush deepened, for an entirely different reason this time. He looked disappointed.

"Also, I have no need for your protection."

He stared after her with a heartbroken look on his face as she continued to walk ahead. "Oh…"

I grimaced as I watched the scene with a sort of sad horror. Poor kid. He was trying so hard, too…

"He tries too hard," said Zelos, voicing my thoughts. He kept his voice low so that I only I would hear him. "It's sad, really. If he wasn't such a brat, I might take him under my wing."

I rolled my eyes. Yeah, because Genis would really be the sort of kid to be interested in learning to become a womanizer like Zelos. Genis would probably rip his hair out if he heard that.

"I somehow don't think he'd appreciate the offer," I replied. I instinctively inched away from him. No way was I going to let myself be caught off guard with this guy around. He definitely didn't plan on letting his revenge plan go any time soon.

Seeing this, he smirked and instead moved on to bug Sheena. I had won, at least for now.

We'd left it up to Sheena to lead us back to the clearing where we'd met Regal. This meant adding a fresh layer of mud and grime to the dried dirt that already caked our clothing and skin. We never really had a chance to bathe in Mizuho, so I was hoping that Ozette wasn't too primitive of a village like Zelos said. I could really have used a decent bath at the moment.

After we reached that particular checkpoint, it wasn't too long until we were out of the woods. Or rather, the scary part of them, anyway. Much like before, the eerie shadows soon began to lighten until we were in a regular forest. The leaves above us were still dense, however, and sunlight still seemed to have a bit of a problem breaking through. Still, it was a lot lighter than Gaoracchia proper by a long run.

The sun was only just beginning to lower in the sky when we reached Ozette. I had to take a moment to take in the strange build of the village. The path below us had gradually turned from dirt to stone, and we now stood on a mossy, rocky path that led up into the village. Rope fences lined the path on either side, and I could see why – this particular path lifted up from the ground and attached itself some sort of rocky mountain side. The buildings were made out of wood, suspended in the air by being built attached to the huge trees here, or sitting upon wooden platforms on the cliff's rocky surface below us. All in all, it was a strange village of many levels and paths. I could easily find myself getting lost here.

The minute we'd passed a wooden sign depicting the village's name, illuminated by a hanging lantern, Presea took off into the village with surprising speed.

"Lloyd!" Genis exclaimed in alarm. "We have to follow her!"

Lloyd stopped examining his surroundings to give him a confused look. "Huh? Well, yeah, I guess so, but – "

It was too late. Genis was already chasing after the girl, his voice echoing loudly through the noiseless village.

"Genis! Wait!" Lloyd called out, but the two of them had disappeared from sight. He sighed and slapped a hand to his forehead. "He's just gonna get lost…"

"He'll be fine if he's with Presea," said Raine. She didn't seem to show any concern for her brother's whereabouts. "The village doesn't appear to be that big. It shouldn't take long to find them."

I rubbed my hands up my arms as I noticed a villager giving us cagey looks from the shadows. These guys seemed to be even less welcoming to outsiders than Mizuho. But why?

"We should probably hurry," said Zelos casually. He subtly tilted his head in the direction of the glaring man. "Ozette is famous for their extreme racism towards half-elves. I dunno about you guys, but I wouldn't let the brat wander around on his own for too long." He spoke in a quiet murmur so that no one else could hear.

I gulped, instinctively inching closer to Lloyd for protection. I prayed that no gusts of wind would blow my hair from my face and reveal my ears. While they were just simple townspeople, the way that they cast such shady looks in our direction had me nervous. I couldn't point out one polite smile as we made our way through the village.

In fact…

"Wait."

We had reached the top of the slope, where two men had stood talking. The taller of the two approached us, looking unhappy.

"Y-Yes?" asked Sheena nervously.

"You all arrived with Presea, correct?" he asked in a gruff voice. I couldn't help but notice how suspicious he seemed of us. If he thought we were friends with Presea, then why did it matter?

She nodded quickly. "Ah, yes. She's run off ahead. We were just going to go find her."

"Freak," I heard the other man mutter. I somehow was able to tell he wasn't talking about Sheena.

"There better not be any half-elves mixed in with your group," the first man warned us. His eyes scanned the group, lingering particularly on Raine, Zelos, Regal, me –

"Of course not," Zelos said with a scoff. "You think we'd travel with dirty half-elves? What do you take us for?" He was using his best offended voice, and while I knew it was all an act, his words stung me.

The man's gaze snapped back to Zelos. "Hmph. I wouldn't put it past a group that associated with such a weird girl." With that, he returned to his conversation with the other man; the topic had probably changed to us, now. We hurried on before they did something crazy like arrest us.

"That was a little harsh," I commented to Zelos once we were out of earshot.

He ducked to avoid hitting a low-hanging tree branch and rolled his eyes. "C'mon, princess, I had to make it believable." When I still had a hurt look on my face, he sighed. "Look, this is the Pope's hometown. That should show you what kind of people we're dealing with. Would you rather I go back and rat you guys out?"

"That's enough, Zelos," Sheena warned him. She tapped her fingers against her crossed arms, probably to restrain herself from hitting him. "Just apologize."

"Fine. I'm sorry," he mumbled.

"Fine, forgiven," I said, mimicking his tone. Coincidentally, I didn't sound all that sincere.

We continued through the village. As it turned out, Presea's house was more on the outskirts of the village. It was a really shabby-looking wooden house, the boards looking like they were about to disintegrate from water damage and rot. Vines snaked along the side of it, some of them even growing into broken window frames. The roof had holes in it, and the steps leading up to the deck that wrapped around it looked less than stable. The constant dusky light that the trees cast on the town made it look even sadder than it was.

I bit my lip as I stared at the mess. Was this really Presea's home? My only assurance was that she currently stood on the deck, with Genis standing close beside her and giving nervous looks to the man she spoke to.

My jaw hung open. That man…I'd recognize him anywhere. He had long, violet hair that seemed to straight out from the back of his head rather than down. His beady eyes were barely obscured by a pair of small, circular red glasses perched atop his long, beak nose, and his body looked positively miniscule underneath the huge cloak of olive-coloured armour he wore.

"R-Rodyle…" I stammered, fighting to keep my voice quiet.

Lloyd whipped his head around to look at me in alarm. "Rodyle? I remember you mentioning him. Isn't he a Grand Cardinal?"

"…Thank you," Rodyle was saying to Presea, and it made my skin crawl. Ugh, he was just such a vile, creepy man with the most nasally and slimy voice I'd ever heard. He was turning to leave, but stopped when he saw our group. His eyebrow rose curiously and he looked back at Presea. "Hmm? Are these guests as well?"

Presea slowly rotated to face the rest of us. Her eyes flicked over us with disinterest. "Porters…"

Rodyle's eyes found mine, and a smirk formed on his lips. "Oh, I see."

I squirmed, moving to hide behind Regal. He was the tallest, and was able to hide me the best. The convict glanced down at me, looking troubled.

"Presea, please, listen!" Genis pleaded. By the sounds of things, he'd been trying to get her to pay attention for a while, but Rodyle had been eating up her attention. "We have to make a Key Crest for you!"

"My job awaits…goodbye…" she replied. Without another look in Genis' direction, she turned on her heel and pushed the creaky door to her house open, disappearing into the darkness inside.

"Presea!" Genis called, attempting to follow her.

Rodyle held his arm out to stop him. "Only Presea can retrieve the sacred wood used in the ritual at the church," he explained happily. "I'm quite pleased that she has finally returned. Hehehehe." He turned and left through the trees.

Ugh, dammit. That awful laugh could have broken glass, I was sure. I watched him go with an overwhelming feeling of disgust. I'd always hated Rodyle, and now that I was aware of what the Desians were doing, the feeling had grown.

"That man…he's a half-elf," Raine observed.

"That's Rodyle," I said with a grimace. "The man I told you about."

Raine looked concerned. She narrowed her eyes in the direction he'd left. "That man was a Grand Cardinal? What business does he have with Presea?"

Genis was finally able to rip his eyes away from Presea's house. "Hey, now that you mention it, didn't we see that guy in Meltokio, too?"

"What?!" I exclaimed. My eyes grew wide. "When? What was he doing?"

"We saw him when Colette kicked the dog," Lloyd replied. "He just kinda made a weird comment and left. We didn't really think anything of it."

"He's creepy," said Colette, shivering.

"I agree," said Zelos gravely. "But, uh…I gotta say, I feel sorry for the guy. I mean, he has to deal with the fact that there are magnificent specimens of males around like me, heh." He puffed his chest out proudly and donned a big grin.

"I'd say you two are on the same level," Genis muttered as the group collectively rolled their eyes.

"I heard that, you little twerp!"

Regal stared intently at the house in front of us. He looked concerned. "At any rate, we should have a talk with Presea."

Lloyd nodded. "Right."

We all filed in through the open door to search for Presea. The first thing I noticed as we entered the house was the wall of stench my senses were immediately hit with. My hands flew to my nose to block the smell, but it was everywhere. I felt like I was going to be sick – this was somehow worse than the sewer. It smelled like something rotting…like a corpse.

Presea didn't seem to notice. She was calmly sorting things on a work table, which was covered in sawdust and tools. An unfinished wood carving stood tall beside it, as well as a tall lamp that wasn't in use. A dusty table sat in one corner, and broken objects were scattered everywhere.

"Ugh, that smell…" Lloyd's voice was muffled as he spoke through his gloved fingers. His skin was a pale shade of green, but then again, the jade light filtering in through the window made the whole room look eerie and sick. Looking around made me feel depressed. It was gloomy, and cobwebs hung from every surface imaginable.

"P-Presea…" Genis tried to approach her, but she ignored him and hurried into the next room, stopping to clean and straighten things as she ran.

"I…I don't want to find the source of that smell," said Sheena. She eyed the room with dread.

"I think I'm going to be sick," said Colette. She was fighting to keep her voice even, but I could hear the threatening lurches of nausea. The smell had to have been unbearable for her with her angel senses.

"Wait in this room," Raine instructed. "We'll try not to take long."

I wasn't thrilled about entering further into the house, but I reluctantly followed the others into the next room all the same.

The smell was even worse here, as we'd predicted, and this room looked to be in an even bigger state of disrepair. Lopsided picture frames and broken shelves lined the walls. Beams of sunlight streamed in through holes in the ceiling. A bed with grungy white blankets sat in the corner, and judging by the human-shaped lump in the center, I was willing to bet it was occupied.

Presea was more active than I'd ever seen her, besides in battle. She ran from the bed to a dresser missing half of its drawers, busying herself with seemingly pointless tasks. She'd bring a rag over to the bed, only to hurry it back over to the dresser and continue to straighten things.

"What's…what's in that bed?" I asked slowly. I wasn't sure I wanted to know the answer. At the same time, I think I already knew.

While Presea made another trip to the dresser, Raine slowly approached the bed, sending careful looks to Presea. She buried her face into the neck of her robe and proceeded to slowly draw the covers back.

"…Oh my –" She hurriedly dropped the blanket and lurched back, looking positively pale. I'd never seen Raine look as disturbed as she did at that moment. She stared at Presea in shock. "How…how horrible…"

"What is it?" asked Sheena, but the look on her face told me she already knew.

"There's…a body in that bed…" She was taking care to steady her breathing so that she didn't throw up.

"What the…" Zelos stared at the young girl in sick shock, especially since she so obliviously continued to tidy the room like nothing was wrong. "This is not cool…"

I squeezed my eyes shut and buried my face in the nearest person's shoulder to try and block this image out of my mind. I felt an arm wrap around me like an instinct and knew it had to be Zelos.

"How could this happen?" said Sheena in a horrified voice. "How could she keep acting like nothing's wrong?"

"Most likely the effect of the Exsphere's parasitism," said Raine. "Presea has no idea what's become of the person in that bed."

I lifted my head to stare at the bed. Judging by the size of the shape outlined under the blanket, I guessed it was a man. Her father maybe? How awful…

"How…how could that…" Genis gaped. He looked conflicted, and reasonably so. Was this the girl he was so in love with? He didn't want to believe it.

"Presea…" said Regal. He almost looked more disturbed than the rest of us. He spoke to her in a quiet, gentle voice. "Are you not coming with us?"

"I must…do my job…" she replied robotically. She didn't even break away from her activities to look at him.

"But Presea, we are simply trying to –" He cut off. Presea had frozen while he was approaching and now stood in a defensive stance. Regal edged away from her, and she quickly resumed her tasks.

Raine watched the exchange and thought briefly. "…Let's leave Presea here for now."

Lloyd looked wildly from the body in the bed to Presea. "Here?!"

"You saw what just happened. If we try to move her, she will just fight back. Let's go see Altessa by ourselves to ask him about repairing the Key Crest."

He looked reluctant, but nodded anyway. "…Yeah. Alright."

Presea didn't bat an eyelash at us as we left the room. Colette stood in the doorway of the house, her eyes wide with shock.

"You heard the whole thing, huh?" Lloyd asked her.

"How horrible…" she breathed. A hand covered her mouth – she still looked sick. The whole event she'd just listened in on probably didn't help.

"Let's get going to Altessa's," I said. "I don't like leaving Presea alone in a house like this, and I definitely don't like the idea of Rodyle lurking around."

We quickly left the house, each of us revelling in the fresh forest air that met us outside. I couldn't believe what had just happened. I mean, I knew the effects of the Cruxis Crystal subdued her emotions and such, but that…that was so awful. No wonder the townspeople seemed to avoid Presea. I would too, if I lived in a town with a girl who lived with a rotting corpse.

The path in front of Presea's house led straight out of the village, the shadows of the woods fading away to a bright, sunny forest path. The amber light of the sun's rays quickly grew in colour. As we started down the path, Colette suddenly lost her balance and fell to the ground.

"Colette!" Lloyd exclaimed in alarm. He rushed to help her up. "Are you okay?"

"Y-Yeah," she said with a nervous giggle. "I just stumbled. Hehe, I'm clumsy." She allowed Lloyd to help her up by the arm, wincing like he'd pulled a little too hard.

"Are you hurt?" he asked her after noting the reaction.

"No I'm fine," she said quickly. She brushed the dirt off of her dress and smiled, but it seemed a little…off. "I'm fine."

Lloyd looked doubtful, but the sun was setting soon and we needed to get going, so he let it go. "Okay. If you're sure."

She nodded happily and continued down the path. Lloyd stared worriedly after her for a moment before he started walking too.

* * *

We walked for a long while in silence. Everyone seemed too stunned to say anything about Presea. The whole ordeal had put a bad taste in my mouth, and although my stomach was growling at me in protest, I doubted I'd be able to keep anything settled if I did try to eat.

"Man, what a day…" Zelos finally said. He let out a tired sigh and stretched his arms back, cradling the back of his head in his hands as he walked. "Poor little rosebud's been living in a giant grave and she hasn't even realized!"

"That better be sincere," Genis warned him darkly. "Presea isn't some kind of freak like all the townspeople make her out to be! She didn't choose to be a part of this stupid experiment!"

"We rarely choose our own fates," Regal mused. "Certain burdens are forced upon us in life, and we are forced to carry them, no matter the weight or our strength." He gazed into the sky, looking sad. "It's a cruel world we live in."

"It would be a lot less cruel without Cruxis going around messing things up," said Lloyd angrily.

"I'm still worried about Rodyle showing up there," I spoke up. I couldn't stop picturing his beady eyes; his laugh replayed in my head.

"What kind of person is he?" Lloyd wondered. "I mean, Magnius was big and strong, and Kvar was smaller but really smart, fast and good with magic."

"Rodyle is…" I trailed off. How could I describe Rodyle to these people in a way they could understand? "Hmm. Rodyle…is single-handedly the sneakiest, creepiest, slimiest low life that ever had the honour of calling himself a Grand Cardinal. He is forever going behind Lord Yggdrasill's back – scheming is pretty much a second nature to him. He thinks he's so much greater of a leader than he actually is, and dealing with him makes me physically sick to my stomach." I stopped and smiled at the rest of the group. "Does that explain things?"

"He sounds like a real nice guy…" Genis remarked drily.

"Sounds like the Pope!" Zelos chimed in helpfully.

Raine sighed patiently. "Is there any other information you can give us, Aurelia? In an unbiased view, could you possibly divulge any strengths we may need to watch out for?"

I thought about it again. "Well, like I said. He's really sneaky, and very manipulative. He mostly depends on others to do his dirty work for him, so that explains why he has ties to that Vharley man, like Presea said." I recalled every instance he'd been mentioned through the course of the journey. By the way Pronyma has spoken to Kvar at the Asgard Ranch, it sounded like he was hatching his own schemes as usual. "We should be careful. It looks like he's acting on his own again."

Raine nodded as she took it all in. "Duly noted. I must say, now that you feel able to discuss your past with us, your knowledge on the inner workings of Cruxis and the Desians will prove to be a real asset."

"Oh!" I exclaimed when I remembered something else. "He also owns dragons, I think."

"Okay, that's so cool!" said Lloyd excitedly.

Raine threw her hands up in frustration. To her, it was like we'd completely ignored what she said. Not that she wasn't used to it, especially when it came to Lloyd.

By the time we reached Altessa's place, the horizon was flaming pink with the sunset. Altessa's house turned out to be built into a hollowed out cave in the mountainside. The only indications a house even existed were the stone window and door, which were the only openings into the rock wall. Occasional patches of limey green moss could be seen, and a short wooden fence lined the path to the doorway. Various clay pots and flower baskets were scattered around the clearing.

"This is kind of nice!" Colette commented, seeing all of the flowerpots.

"Let's see if he's home," said Lloyd.

We made our way up the path to the thick stone door. Lloyd didn't seem sure what good knocking would do on such a door, but he brought his fist up and rapped on it anyway.

I was a bit taken aback by the girl who answered. She was about the same size as me, with a long braid of pale green hair and wide, lifeless green eyes. She wore a short dress of white and varying shades of green, with a matching hat. A long piece from her dress trailed behind her, making it look like she had a tail.

"WHO IS IT?" Her voice was totally robotic. I know Presea's could be described as such, but this girl…it was like there was no soul behind those pale eyes of hers. She sounded like a recording, and I was chillingly reminded of when Colette had been soulless.

Lloyd cleared his throat. Clearly he had surprise to get over as well.

"Ah, excuse us," he began politely. "We've heard that there is a dwarf living here. Is there any chance we could see him?"

"YOU DESIRE A MEETING WITH MASTER ALTESSA," she stated, stepping to the side. "PLEASE COME INSIDE."

Lloyd hesitated, but soon gathered up the nerve to walk inside. The rest of us followed after him.

The room we were in was basically a hole in the wall, with carved rock as the ceiling and walls. A large chandelier of candles hung from the ceiling, lighting the room considerably. Light from the single, circular window also made a difference. A large, metal dining table sat in the middle, and a fireplace practically melted into the wall and led up into the ceiling and outside somewhere, I assumed.

We followed the girl to the left and into another room, which was clearly Altessa's workshop. I counted at least three work tables, with many different tools hanging on the walls and scattered across the tables. Boxes and barrels were piled in the corners.

"Who are you people?" asked a gruff voice.

I turned to see Altessa, or rather, who I assumed to be him. He wasn't much taller than Genis, with a fat nose, a long, grey beard and pointed grey hair and eyebrows. He hair really only started growing about halfway down his head. Though his eyes were mostly obscured by his thick eyebrows, I could tell he was giving us all scrutinizing looks.

"My name is Lloyd," the swordsman spoke up. "And these are my friends. We've come in regards to a girl named Presea. We heard about you from Kate in Sybak, and –"

"…Leave!"

Lloyd cut off, staring at the dwarf in shock. "What?"

Altessa turned his back to us, focusing his gaze on a particularly interesting hammer on the table beside him. He shook with anger, and his expression had grown hard.

"I don't want anything more to do with that girl!" His voice rose to a roar. "Get out of here!"

"But please, sir," Lloyd persisted. "We really need your help! Don't you realize what will happen to her?"

Altessa took the hammer in his hands, tapping lightly against his palm. He didn't say anything to Lloyd. The dwarf had completely blocked out our presence, and that wasn't going to change.

"Lloyd, let's just go," I said quietly.

Lloyd's hands curled into fists at his sides. He shot one last angry look at Altessa and stormed out of the room.

I stared at Altessa. He refused to acknowledge our presence any longer. Standing here brooding about it wasn't going to change things. I sighed and followed the others to the entryway. The girl trailed behind us.

"What was that all about?!" Lloyd asked her expectantly.

"I APOLOGIZE," said the girl. "THE MASTER DOES NOT WANT TO GET INVOLVED WITH PRESEA."

Genis huffed angrily. "Why?! He doesn't care if she dies?!"

She turned to Genis. "IT IS NOT THAT. IT IS BECAUSE THE MASTER REGRETS WHAT HE HAS DONE."

I looked over my shoulder, imagining I could see through the wall and get another glimpse of Altessa. He'd been shaking, but it wasn't with anger. It was with fear. Guilt.

"Then please, save Presea!" Colette pleaded. "All she needs is for her Key Crest to be fixed."

"I DO NOT KNOW IF THAT WOULD TRULY BE IN HER BEST INTEREST."

Lloyd stared at her confusedly. "Why? How could anything be worse than living in that cruel condition while waiting to die?!" His words were filled with passion, and I somehow knew he was thinking of Colette. He didn't want anyone else to have to go through with that.

She let Lloyd's words sink in. Her expression didn't change – it hadn't through the whole conversation – but her words seemed more hopeful.

"IF YOU ARE THAT COMMITTED, THEN YOU SHOULD SEARCH FOR INHIBITOR ORE."

Lloyd's eyebrows rose. "Presea's Key Crest isn't made out of inhibitor ore?"

"CORRECT. HER CREST IS –"

"Tabatha!" Altessa's voice bellowed angrily from the other room. "What are you doing? Get rid of them!"

The girl, Tabatha, began to usher us outside. "I APOLOGIZE, I MUST RETURN. PLEASE COME AGAIN. I WILL ATTEMPT TO PERSUADE HIM." With that, she shut the door.

Colette twisted her hands together, looking worried. "Where can we find the inhibitor ore?"

A long stretch of silence ensued. Nobody seemed to know the answer to that. Lloyd could have found it if we were in Sylvarant, but we would've needed the rheairds to go there. It looked like we were back to square one.

Or at least, that's what I thought until Regal broke the silence.

"I've heard it's mined in the mountain range that extends between Altamira and the Ymir Forest. I would like to help if you're going to create a Key Crest for Presea. I can lead you to the mine."

If he was able to lead us there, then its location was more than just a hunch to him. I wondered how he knew where to find it, but the fact that he _did _know where to find it was enough to make me agree to such a plan.

"Just what is your relation to Presea, anyway?" asked Lloyd. There was a faintly detectable trace of suspicion in his words. I was curious as well. He seemed to be awfully concerned about her – there had to be _some _connection between the two.

However, Regal simply gave a light shrug and said, "There is none." He didn't seem particularly fazed by Lloyd's question, but he answered in such a tone that there was obviously more behind it.

"Yet you sure seem concerned about her," Raine countered calmly. She seemed a bit more wary of the convict's knowledge than Lloyd did.

Regal met her with an even stare, but didn't say anything.

Lloyd spoke up, "Well, either way, you haven't done anything suspicious so far. If you can help us like you say, then you're welcome to come along."

He nodded deeply. "Inhibitor ore is found relatively near the surface of the Exsphere mine. The mine I know of is across the sea from here, on the southern continent."

I noticed that Zelos was pretty much bouncing with excitement. "You said Altamira, right? That place is awesome! Let's stop by there on the way!"

"We don't have time to hang out at that gaudy resort," Sheena snapped.

Raine drowned out their bickering, looking as though she fought back revulsion. "T-The sea…? We're going out to sea again?"

"We should head back to Ozette for the night and leave in the morning," Lloyd suggested. The sun had sunk below the mountain before us, and the only light in the sky came from its faint rays and a spattering of pale stars.

"I don't feel comfortable staying in that village," Genis said quietly. "Being a half-elf and all."

I hadn't thought about it. Now that Genis mentioned it, the thought of trying to sleep in a town of people who harboured such hatred for half-elves made me nervous. While I longed for a comfortable bed to sleep in and perhaps a hot bath, my fear of what could happen in my sleep overpowered it.

"I agree with Genis," I said. "Would it be okay if we camped out instead?"

"Aw, our big, bad Desian girl is afraid of a few humans?" Zelos teased me.

I glowered at him. "We almost lost Genis and Raine to racist humans. I don't feel like underestimating their ability to kill us in our sleep if they found out who we were."

"Camping out it is," said Lloyd. He gave Genis and me gentle looks.

We set out from Altessa's place to find a good place to set up camp. As we were leaving, Zelos had fallen behind to speak with Regal about something. I looked over my shoulder with curiosity, but it appeared that Regal was ignoring Zelos. He caught up with the rest of us, leaving Zelos to follow with a slight scowl on his face.

"That Tabatha girl was a bit strange, you know?" Lloyd recalled as we walked.

"Really? How so?" asked Colette. She didn't seem to think anything had been wrong with Tabatha, but then again – Colette was a bit strange herself.

"How should I put it…?" Lloyd began, trying to find the right words. "She reminds me of you when you had lost your heart as part of the angel transformation."

"Perhaps it is because she did not engage in respiration," Regal deduced.

Colette's eyes widened. "What? Are you saying she wasn't breathing?"

"Are you serious?" Lloyd said in disbelief.

"So it appeared," said Regal. He placed a hand on his chin thoughtfully. "I suppose she could have undergone heavy training to breathe silently, but…" He trailed off at the doubtful idea.

"Don't tell me she's an angel, too?" Lloyd sent cautious looks over his shoulder in the direction of Altessa's house.

Colette frowned. "But she didn't seem like a bad person."

"I am not entirely certain of your involvement with the angels," said Regal, "but in any case, it would be wise to be careful."

"We never _did _explain things to him, did we?" said Lloyd. "Come to think of it, Zelos doesn't know much of what happened either.

"We should give a full summary of the journey so far once we set up camp," said Raine.

We didn't walk much further before finding a suitable area to set up. The forest provided protection, and a stream ran through the trees a little bit away. We took turns cleaning ourselves up while supper was being cooked. It was my turn to cook, and I was making just a simple rice dish. Genis agreed to watch it for me when it came my turn to go bathe.

I sighed and plopped onto the river bed to take off my boots. The moon was unusually bright tonight, meaning I wasn't forced to bathe in total darkness. Besides, I was close enough to camp that a simple scream would alert the others. I wasn't too concerned.

I slipped out of my clothes and set them in a neat pile on a nearby rock before plunging into the stream.

A small yelp escaped from my lips from the shock of the cold water. It wasn't ice cold or anything, but compared to the night air it was a bit of a jolting feeling.

One I grew used to the temperature, I sank deeper into the water, letting my hair float out around me. I exhaled happily as I felt the excess dirt peel off of my skin. Despite the cold and location of my bath, it was getting me clean all the same and I felt completely relaxed. All of the mud and grime that caked to my skin was being washed away. I could almost fall asleep...

"Aurelia! The food is ready!"

Genis' voice piercing through the trees made me groan. So much for that thought. I reluctantly scrubbed the last few particles of dirt from my skin and quickly dressed myself.

When I arrived back at the camp, Raine was just finishing explaining to Zelos and Regal what had happened in Sylvarant, and exactly what had led us to come to Tethe'alla.

"That's all pretty interesting," Zelos was saying. "I knew the gist of it from reading Sheena's letter, but by the sounds of things, you guys have had it pretty rough."

Regal stared gravely into the fire. "To think that the people of both worlds are being so grossly deceived is truly alarming."

"That's why we have to change things," I said as I came up behind Lloyd. He jumped in fear, having not heard me approach.

"God dammit, Aurelia." He shot me an angry look while he waited for his heart to settle. "Don't sneak up on me like that!"

I giggled. "Sorry, Lloyd!" I sat down beside him and began wringing out my wet hair. "But I meant it. We can't let things go on like this."

"You are all truly devoted to this cause," said Regal. He wore a guilty expression. "I must apologize once more for ambushing you in Meltokio. Had I known what a noble thing you all are trying to accomplish, I would not have been able to do it."

"If only everyone in Tethe'alla could think like that," Sheena said with a sigh. She reached across Lloyd to hand me my dinner. "It would certainly make our job a whole lot easier."

"It's because assholes like the Pope have power," said Zelos. He'd been lying on his back, and now pulled himself into a sitting position. "I say we off him the first chance we get."

"That'll fix our whole fugitive problem," I said wryly. "Let's just kill everyone that's in power and call it a day!" My voice was filled with cheery sarcasm. I took a huge bite of food.

"It'd be a quick fix to the problem," he said boredly. "I have way more power than the Pope; it doesn't even make sense that he's able to get away with half the shit he does."

"Zelos." Sheena gave him a warning look. "Language, please?"

He rolled his eyes, stretching out his arms and gesturing around to the group. "Who are you worried will hear me? The brat's like 12, isn't he?" He jerked a thumb towards Genis, who looked like he was about to dive across the fire and strangle him.

"That's not the point!"

"I hope we can help Presea," Colette said suddenly. Whether she was oblivious to the fight happening or just wanted to end it, it worked and the focus was shifted.

"I'm sure we can," I said to her in my best attempt at optimism. "As long as Tabatha can get Altessa to agree to help us, there's nothing to worry about. If he regrets it as much as she said, then I'm sure he'll come around."

She looked reassured by this. "Yeah, I guess you're right!"

"Are dwarves rare in Tethe'alla as well?" Genis asked Sheena. "Because in Sylvarant, Lloyd's dad is pretty much the only one we know of."

"Altessa is the only one _I _know of," she replied. "So I think he must be the only one."

"So he's alone?" Genis' face fell at the depressing thought. "He must be lonely."

At the mention of his father, Lloyd dropped his fork to his plate and instead stared at the remainder of his food sadly.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Genis asked him concernedly.

He snapped out of his daze to look up at his best friend in surprise. "Ah, no, I was just wondering what Dad's doing right now…" He trailed off, starting to look sad again.

Genis burst out laughing. "Lloyd's getting homesick!"

"N-No I'm not!" he snapped, but his red face gave it away.

"But seriously," said the half-elf when he calmed down. "Between Dirk and Altessa, I wonder who the better craftsman is."

"How should I know?" said Lloyd defensively.

"As far as I can tell, Altessa possesses more advance skills." Genis cast a more sidelong glance at Lloyd this time, and I could tell that this was just a way to get him going even more. We hadn't even really witnessed much of Altessa's skill other than what had been floating around the house when we'd been there.

"Heart is more important than skills!" Lloyd shouted, vehement. "Dad would never abandon someone in need!"

Having gotten the reaction he was hoping for, Genis chuckled. "You're just getting upset because he's your father."

"Am not!"

"Are too."

"Am not –!"

"That's it. To bed! Both of you!" This came from Raine, who stood to tower threateningly over the two.

I snickered. "Serves you both right for behaving like children."

"That means everyone," she said firmly. "We'll need our rest for the trip to the mine."

My face fell. "But-but Raine, I –"

The look she gave me was enough to shut me up. Everyone else was smart enough not to say anything, and the whole group settled down to sleep in silence.

"_I can't believe I just got sent to bed by Raine Sage," _I whispered, depressed. These were my last thoughts as I drifted to sleep.

* * *

**Nothing too exciting to note. Mostly just plot and some character interactions.**

**I've started using my deviantART account more, guys! I probably won't post much on there except for maybe little scrap writings, but if any of you wanna find me on there it's desianxprincess!**

**Review, perhaps? :)**


	32. It's Off to Work We Go

**Yikes. I'm so sorry this took forever to churn out! And yes, I do say churn because to be honest - I find this part of the game quite boring, so it was difficult to push through. Anyway, it's up now so hopefully the next chapter won't take forever to update! I'm working on the rewrite of Chapter 4 as I type this, so that should be up sometime tomorrow hopefully.**

**Senior year has been hectic so far, but I've been writing more than ever so I guess that's a plus! I got accepted to university last week, so I'm really excited about that! I'm going to be taking journalism and creative writing and I couldn't be more excited to start :)**

**Thanks for hanging in there guys. Love you all, and enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

The next morning was an early one.

I hadn't been expecting it, either. I'd been lying there, blissfully dreaming of swimming through a sea of noodles, when I'd been roughly jolted awake by a stern-faced professor. I squinted into the near-darkness at her before glancing up at the sky. The sun was barely beginning to add color to the black canvas.

"Raine, what time is it?" I asked hoarsely.

"Time to get up," she informed me. "We'll leave as soon as we're ready."

I didn't even have a chance to ask her if she was insane, because she was already moving on to a softly snoring Genis. I gave my head a quick shake and looked around to see who else was awake. I counted Regal, Colette, Sheena and a very groggy Zelos.

"Ugh, sis, seriously…?"

_Make that Genis as well, _I added silently. I began rolling up my bedroll and gathering my stray belongings into my bag. Once I had everything neatly stored, I joined the others in the semi-circle they'd formed.

"This is ridiculous," Zelos was muttering. "If she expects me to properly function at this ungodly hour then she's nuts."

"You properly function regularly?" said Genis as he approached the group. "Could've fooled me."

"At least Genis is awake enough to tease Zelos," I yawned, while Zelos twitched angrily and held back a no doubt vulgar retort.

"It's going to be a really nice day!" Colette predicted as she looked up at the gradually brightening sky. "I can feel it!"

"How are you this perky in the morning?" Zelos groaned, falling onto his back. Apparently he was too tired to even remain angry at Genis.

We sat around, doing our best to wake ourselves up, while Raine finally succeeded in rousing a very unwilling Lloyd. He trudged over to us, looking less than pleased. His hair seemed to be in even more disarray than usual.

"Good morning, Lloyd!" Colette greeted brightly.

Lloyd raised his hand and mumbled something incoherent as a response. He sat down next to Genis and immediately slumped against the boy's shoulder, his eyes drooping shut.

Genis seemed to ignore Lloyd for the time being and glanced over his shoulder at his sister. "I don't understand why she's so eager to get going. The faster we move, the closer we are to riding the EC."

Regal looked curious. "EC? I assume you speak of the Elemental Cargo?"

"So you've heard of it," said Zelos, lifting himself into a sitting position. His tone was slightly questioning.

"Yes," Regal replied evenly. "Although, I was not aware such a vehicle was capable of travelling across water."

"It usually isn't," said Sheena, "but because I've made a pact with Undine, we can use her power to carry us across."

"But Raine is afraid of water," I added in a hushed tone. "As in, absolutely terrified. So it really doesn't make any sense that she wants to rush us along."

Regal looked at Raine, who was oblivious to us talking about her. She was rushing around the campsite, packing up stray objects and looking generally worried.

"Perhaps she wishes to get it over with," said Regal amusedly.

Raine paused and looked over at us. We immediately shut up and did our best to make it look like we hadn't been talking about her. Her eyes narrowed.

"You'd best all be ready to leave," she said sternly. "We'll eat breakfast once we make it to the coast and board the…the EC."

Lloyd immediately straightened at this. "_What?! No breakfast?!"_

"Honestly, Lloyd," Raine sighed. "What's more important to you? Food or rescuing Presea?"

"I wouldn't answer that," Genis muttered warningly.

Lloyd gazed up almost tearfully at his Professor before sighing and sinking silently into a deep depression.

There wasn't much time for chatting after that. Raine made sure everyone had their things packed and forced us to our feet. By the time we started on the road, it was still barely dawn. I couldn't recall the last time we'd all been up this early and on the road. It had to have been back in Sylvarant when Kratos was still in the group.

Still, as sleepy as I was, it was kind of nice to get to witness the sun slowly light up the sky. There was no immediate threat pushing us forward, and so I was able to peacefully watch the world come to life around me. It was…calming. Maybe I would start to go for early morning walks on my own more often.

It didn't take too long to reach the shore. The sky was painted with streaks of gold and pink, reflected beautifully on the ocean's surface.

Zelos, yawning widely, opened the wing pack to allow the EC to come rushing out and land lightly on the water. Lloyd gazed at the craft lovingly and in that moment I could practically read his mind. As soon as he stepped foot onto the EC, he was going to curl up behind some cargo boxes and take a long nap.

We all settled onto the EC and Sheena summoned Undine to get us moving. Genis unpacked some ingredients and began preparing a simple breakfast. This was enough to keep Lloyd from retreating to the cargo hold, but as soon as he'd inhaled his food, he was sprawled on his back and out like a light.

I leaned over the railing and let my hand hang down, allowing the cold water spray to splash me and wake me up a bit. It was quiet, as everyone was still understandably groggy, so it was actually a rather peaceful trip.

Or at least, it _was. _

"I'm bored," Zelos announced, coming to sit beside Sheena and I. "What are you guys doing?"

"Nothing exciting," Sheena replied. She was being just about as productive as I was, sitting with her head tilted back towards the brightening sun. "Can't you find someone else to bother?"

"Aw, but you two are my favourite hunnies!" he said with a grin. "Where would be the fun in that?"

"This isn't supposed to be fun," I told him, at the risk of sounding like Raine. "We're going to the Exsphere mines to help Presea."

He glanced at Regal, who sat perfectly straight with his eyes closed. He didn't seem to be sleeping, so I thought maybe he was meditating or deep in thought.

"Exsphere mines, huh? Riiiight…"

Sheena glanced at Zelos, irritated. "What? Something wrong with that?"

"Surely you know about it too," he said, being sure to keep his voice low so the conversation stayed between the three of us. "Exsphere mines in the vicinity of Altamira? What else is there besides the Toize Valley Mine?"

Although Sheena still looked confused at where this was going, her eyebrows raised at the name. "Ah, that one that's connected by tunnel to Moria?"

Zelos nodded deeply. "And if that's the one, think for a moment about who it is that owns the mountains in that area."

"Uh…I guess it'd have to be the Lezareno Company." Sheena shook her head, searching the air in front of her as though it would tell her what point Zelos was trying to make. "But…so what?"

Zelos made a frustrated sound. "Oh brother. Is your chest the only part of you that's well-endowed?"

She dealt a sharp blow to the back of his head. "You better shut up or I'll smack you!"

"Don't say it after you've smacked me!" he whined, rubbing the spot where she'd hit him. "Sheesh…"

She huffed angrily and got up to stomp over to where Colette and Genis were sitting.

"What is it with you and Regal, anyway?" I murmured to Zelos, eying the convict carefully over my shoulder.

Zelos dropped his pouty act and got back to business. "You seriously don't find him suspicious?"

I shrugged. "He seems nice enough. I really don't think he's going to try anything…"

"That's not what I meant." He rolled his eyes at me and scooted closer to fill in the gap Sheena had left. He watched my fingers trail through the ocean spray. "He's super concerned about our little rosebud, but won't tell us why. He was initially sent by the Pope to kill Colette. He knows tonnes of stuff that a regular convict shouldn't know. Aren't you the least bit curious who this guy is?"

I rested my cheek on my arm so I could look at him. "We _are_ sort of holding him prisoner until we figure out what to do with him. He doesn't really have to tell us anything about himself if he doesn't want to."

"That's not what I asked, princess."

I chewed my lip in thought. Regal was a pretty big mystery. At the back of my mind, I wondered if it was truly safe for us to be travelling with him when we didn't even know what he'd been thrown in prison for. Even so, I somehow felt that wasn't the point Zelos was trying to get across.

"I guess so," I admitted, raising an eyebrow at him. "But…do you know something I don't?"

He frowned, his blue eyes lingering with uncertainty on Regal. "Maybe. I can't really say for certain."

This piqued my interest. I straightened, drying my now-freezing hand off on my shirt and leaning closer to him. "Care to divulge any details?"

"I don't want to say anything until I know for sure," he replied, squinting with concentration, "but I'm pretty sure I'm right."

"Zelos!" I complained, smacking him in the chest. "Come on, that isn't fair at all. You can't just say that and not tell me!"

He finally tore his eyes away from Regal to grin down at me. "Hmm, you're pretty aggravated huh? In that case, I'll make you a deal." His face turned very serious.

"What is it?" I asked nervously. His eyes were boring into me and it made me extremely uncomfortable. What was that look on his face? What did he want? Was something wrong?

"I'll tell you," he said gravely. "If you give me a kiss."

I stared blankly at him. My forehead practically twitched in anger as I did my best to refrain from hitting him.

His solemn mask cracked and he started laughing loudly. "Relax, I'm kidding! Jeez, princess, you should've seen your face!"

"You weren't kidding," I said crossly. "Can't you just tell me?"

"Here's a _real _deal," he said. He was back to looking at Regal. "If you figure it out, then I will tell you if you're right or not. Sound good?"

I pursed my lips. "Fine."

"Good!" he said, happily ruffling my hair. "I'm sure you're clever enough to figure it out."

I sighed and slid down onto my back. It looked like a long trip of speculating for me. Thankfully, Zelos didn't do much to bother me as I pondered. For once, he just sat quietly, his head tilting back to the sun as he began to doze off.

I followed his gaze, my mind working furiously. I probably should have just given up. How was I supposed to know what Zelos was thinking? It could be _anything. _Still, I wasn't concerned that it was something dangerous. If Zelos thought Regal posed a true risk to the group, he would tell us, right?

I hoped so.

* * *

Several days later, we reached the mine. It had been a pretty uneventful ride, with the students doing homework and the rest of us doing our best to keep ourselves occupied. I spent the days trying my hardest to figure out what was odd about Regal, but it was difficult because he didn't talk much. He was quiet, insightful and polite, and that was strange for a convict such as himself. I really did want to figure out what his story was, but his silence made it hard, and by the time we reached our destination I was still in the dark.

The entrance to the mine was a hole in the mountain, framed by wooden beams. The inside looked much like a cave, except for the huge, mechanical-looking wall that surrounded a sealed door.

Or at least, it was supposed to be sealed. By the looks of things, it wasn't in very good condition. Stray sparks leapt from the surface of the machinery, and the apparatus was filled with dents and scratches. It was clearly a door to keep out intruders, and someone had tried to get past it.

Zelos squinted around the room, his face hard to see in the dim lighting of the electric ceiling lights and dull, blue glow of the wall.

"Wow! So this is the sealed mine!" he said happily. He inched closer to Lloyd and Genis. "It looks like it might house a ghost or two, don't you think? Hmm?"

"Stop!" Genis complained angrily, his face reddening.

"Argh! Will you just be quiet for a little while?!" Sheena snapped, and her voice echoed loudly around us. I could almost hear the pounding in her head. Zelos must have been bothering her the whole walk here.

He put on his fake-sad act. "What's with you? Don't get mad, Sheena."

Regal, ignoring their bickering, took a step forward to quietly inspect the machinery. "This isn't good."

"What's wrong, Regal?" asked Lloyd.

"The door's guard system is out of control," he explained gravely. "Someone must have destroyed it when trying to force their way through."

"Then let's bust it up even more!" Lloyd suggested.

"That's our Lloyd!" said Zelos, grinning. "That's an easy to understand plan – I'm in."

I gaped at the two. Metallic, clawed arms protruded from the wall and twitched threateningly. I wasn't sure about the other two, but I didn't exactly like the idea of ending up trapped in that iron grip. Surely everyone else felt the same way.

"Yeah, I'm fine with that too," Sheena said with a shrug.

Colette looked nervous. "Well…if Lloyd says so, then it's fine with me."

"Seriously?" I whimpered, mostly to myself.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Genis asked uncertainly, but Lloyd was already running towards the apparatus with his swords drawn.

The Sage siblings exchanged an exasperated look. Knowing there was nothing they could do to stop him, they drew their weapons too.

I wasn't confident that Lloyd was entirely sure where he was aiming. Him and Zelos began mindlessly hacking at the steel wherever it seemed vulnerable – joints, panels, wires. The door's blue lights began to flash red and the metal arms came to life, reaching straight for the two swordsmen.

"_Look out!" _I cried, and dashed forward with little thought. There was no way I would have made it in time to actually do anything, but I still found myself with my spear readied in my hands.

The warning was enough for the two to attempt to leap out of the way. Lloyd was safe, but the claw gripped Zelos' ankle and slammed him against the wall.

This sparked everyone else into action. There were four arms in total, so we each spread ourselves out and each focused on one.

Genis and I paired up to focus on our own. I did my best to keep the arm busy while Genis pelted it with lightning spells to try and make it short circuit. It was difficult avoiding being grabbed, but eventually the arm fell limp and ceased to move.

With Genis' lightning spells, it was clear that our battle was the easiest. Everyone else seemed to have a bit more of a difficult time. Lloyd and Zelos continued to slash away at their arm, but Zelos was clearly in pain from being thrown against the wall. While Raine used a simple First Aid spell on him, she was too busy casting protective spells and keeping Regal from being beaten up too badly.

Regal, incidentally, seemed pretty confused about the whole fight. The minute we all sprang into action, he simply stood there for a moment with a stunned look on his face. It was only reluctantly that he joined the battle himself, using his steel-clad feet to pummel the arm into a crushed mess.

Lastly, Colette and Sheena were teamed up on their own arm. Sheena was quick enough to avoid being grabbed, but her cards did little damage. It was Colette's chakrams and constant use of Angel Feathers that only really seemed to be making any difference, so Genis and I moved on to help them as soon as we were finished.

As soon as the arms were out of order, it only took several minutes of intense sword bashing from Lloyd and Zelos before the flashing red lights faded back first to blue, then to gray as the system shut down. The only sign of life came from a stray spark or two leaping from the surface.

"I think it worked," Lloyd said breathlessly. He gave the machine a cautious onceover.

"Well, it sure is broken," I agreed, "but can we even get the door open now?"

"Leave that to me!" said Zelos proudly, and he approached the door (limping slightly, I noticed) with his sword. He wedged the blade into the crack of the door and proceeded, with great effort, to pry it open. When he was finished, he turned around in search of our approval.

"They're all so violent…" Regal murmured to himself. He shook his head, and we all followed Zelos through the now-destroyed door.

The electric lights that lit the entrance continued into the mine, but they grew increasingly dimmer as we went on. They lined the tunnel we walked down until we came to a large, cavernous room that was filled with all sorts of different machinery and mining equipment. There were carts attached to tracks that seemed to run through the whole mine, as well as moving platforms and lifts. All of it seemed to be moving by itself, as I couldn't pick out any people.

Lloyd voiced my thoughts. "Why are the machines running? I don't see any people…"

"This is an automated mine," Regal explained, "so it runs by itself."

"Wow." Lloyd looked impressed. He glanced around at the mine another time, giving it a more careful look. "I don't really understand, but that sure sounds convenient."

If Lloyd was impressed, then Raine was riveted. She gazed lovingly at a nearby moving lift, inching threateningly closer towards it.

"Oh! I simply must disassemble and analyze this! Think of the inner mechanics that must be necessary in order for it to operate so…so precisely!"

Lloyd sighed and did his best to tune out her rambling. "Ignoring her for a minute, where's the inhibitor ore?"

Regal scanned the area. "The tunnel with the inhibitor ore is up ahead." I watched his gaze shift from an opening across the room to one of the nearby moving platforms. "This elevator platform should be able to take us there without trouble."

I examined it from afar. The platform itself was wooden, and hung from a sort of metal rail extending across the ceiling that was meant to carry workers across the lower area and to the other side. It wasn't very big, and looked like it was only built to carry three people at the most. There was a railing built around the edge so that people would fall off, but I still felt a bit uneasy about it.

"It's small," Sheena commented. "We'll have to take turns riding across it."

And so that's what we did. Lloyd, Colette and Genis rode across first. It was automated, so we the platform came back to our side afterwards. When it reached us, I stepped on with Sheena and Zelos. We'd barely closed the railing's gate before the platform shot to the other side with surprising speed. I'd underestimated just how fast the thing was moving just by watching it. I stumbled off the platform onto solid ground, clutching onto Sheena's arm for support.

We waited until Regal and Raine were safely across before allowing Regal to lead us further into the mines. There were several paths we could take, one of them being a slope that led down to the lower level. However, Regal opted to instead choose a tunnel that went deeper into the mine. Several paths branched off of this main tunnel as well, but Regal led us past all of them.

"At least someone knows where he's going," Zelos drily remarked under his breath.

I nodded, keeping a careful eye on our "leader". "He sure knows a lot about this place."

Zelos just smiled. I knew it had to do with his theory on Regal, so I set my jaw in determination and stared at Regal's back as we walked.

Eventually, we came to an abrupt end in the tunnel. A huge pile of boulders and rubble reached to the ceiling of the tunnel, blocking our path. It must have been the result of a cave-in.

"What happened here?" asked Lloyd. He dropped to his knees and began attempting to clear away some of the rocks. Any progress he made was hindered as more rocks would just roll down the pile to fill in empty space.

"A cave-in, I presume," said Regal. He looked back over his shoulder the way we came, seemingly in thought.

"What's our next move, boss?" Zelos asked in a mock-serious tone. His eyes bored into Regal for a reaction.

Regal's eyebrow twitched, the only indication that Zelos' comment had gotten to him. He ignored him and said, "For situations like this, there are usually explosives stored in the mine. I'm sorry, but we will need to retrace our steps – they should be in one of the side tunnels."

Zelos caught my eye. He raised an eyebrow, crossed his arms, and said, "They _should _be?"

"We should split up and look for it," said Colette, already spreading her wings for illumination and heading back down the tunnel.

"I'm gonna find it first!" Lloyd declared, racing after her. After that, it was pretty much a hopeless case for Zelos' attempt at raising suspicion about Regal. Shrugging, I followed the rest of the group down the tunnel.

With everyone split up, the explosives didn't take long to find. Most of the side tunnels were dead ends, with boxes and crates filled with mining equipment and spare supplied piled against the walls. Naturally, Regal was the one to find it, and we all gathered around the crate at his call.

"So these are what, bombs?" asked Lloyd. He picked one out of the box and examined it. It was a pretty basic concept – a compact ball of explosive powder, tied up with a fuse wire. As soon as the fuse was lit the bomb would probably detonate and blow the rock to bits.

Regal nodded. "We can use the fire from the Sorcerer's Ring to light the fuse."

I eyed the bomb nervously. "That sounds dangerous."

"The blast is very contained," Regal explained. "It is powerful enough to clear the path, but not so much so that the tunnel will collapse." He gave a small smile that was enough to reassure me. I could feel Zelos elbowing me in the ribs, but I ignored him for now. However, he kept doing it as we walked back to the blockage.

"Aurelia," he whispered.

"Stop."

Nudge. "But Aurelia –"

"Zelos I _get it. _Stop."

This continued until we reached the pile of rock. At this point, Lloyd held the bomb out uncertainly.

"Um, does someone want to…hold this…?"

Raine sighed and grabbed the bomb from his hand. "Light it."

He gulped and sent a small amount of flame from the Sorcerer's Ring. As soon as the fuse was lit, Raine tossed the bomb onto the rock pile and we all scrambled back. The bomb exploded upon impact, and for a moment all we could see was a huge cloud of dust.

I was coughing and spluttering, but Regal, of course, walked calmly and unaffected through the dust cloud as though it weren't even there. Genis blinked at him before casting Wind Blade to clear the cloud away. In the place of the once huge rock pile was now only a thick layer of rubble that was easily passable.

Giving my head a quick shake, I carefully climbed over the rocks and continued on. Regal was already ahead of us.

After walking for a few minutes we came to another wide open room, much like the first one. While there were tunnels here and there that branched off into different areas, the thing that drew my attention was a large, sealed door against the nearby wall. Unlike the mechanical door to the entrance of the mine, this one looked pretty tightly sealed. Something told me we wouldn't be able to just bash it open with force.

"Another gate," said Lloyd. He crossed his arms and looked it up and down, no doubt thinking the same thoughts as me. "How do we get through?"

"There is no need," Regal explained. He gestured at the rest of the vast cavern. "The inhibitor ore is not behind that door. It is down a tunnel in that direction."

Genis looked doubtful. "Are you sure? That door looks kind of important. Maybe we should try it out."

"I am certain."

"You sure know a lot about this place, Regal," said Colette, but her tone was lacking the suspicion mine or Zelos' would have held. She just sounded genuinely curious.

Regal didn't answer right away. When he did, he did so after letting out a long breath. "I've worked in this mine before. Convicts like myself provide cheap labour."

Raine gave him a long, hard look. "I see. Then let us be on our way. If you would be so kind."

Regal nodded and assumed his role as the leader.

I didn't even bother looking at Zelos. I could picture the skeptical look he must have worn in my head. Instead, I followed after Raine and Regal before he could bother me about it. I mean, it was a reasonable story. It would explain how he knew so much about this place. Still, there was something off – that much I couldn't deny.

We walked down into a sort of pit that was full of unused machinery and cart tracks. There were piles of rock scattered everywhere, so it was a bit hard to walk through. Although I will say, I was surprised that Colette hadn't tripped by now –

"Oops!"

"Ahh!"

I sighed. Never mind.

Colette had tripped over a particularly large rock, causing her to slam right into Sheena. They both fell to the ground, and there was a loud clatter as Sheena's bag fell open and her belongings rolled across the ground.

Colette giggled nervously. "Heh. S-Sorry, Sheena."

"It's fine," the ninja sighed, and began gathering her things. As she was stowing away the last few items, her eyebrows drew together. She scanned the ground around her, slowly beginning to show more and more panic.

"Sheena? What is it?" asked Lloyd. "Did you lose something?"

She whipped her head up. "I can't fine Undine's aquamarine. Did any of you see it?"

"Hey, you losers looking for this thing?"

I searched around for the source of the voice. "Um…was I the only one who heard that?"

"Down here, sweetcheeks!"

I jumped and looked down at my feet. There stood this little…person? I'm not quite sure how else to explain it. The little guy had to have only been about a foot tall, with a pointy hat and big, black eyes. His tiny hands were wrapped around the blue gem, which looked huge compared to him.

"What is that?!" Lloyd exclaimed, rushing over to stand beside me.

"I believe that is a gnomelette," said Raine after a close look. "I've read that they are servants of the summon spirit, Gnome. Although, I don't understand what one would be doing here."

"Hey, who're you calling a servant, you dumb ole – "

Lloyd crouched down and poked him in the head. "He's not very civilized."

The gnomelette started snapping at Lloyd's fingers. "I'll show you uncivilized! What kinda guy goes around pokin' people in the heads?!"

"He's so cute!" said Colette happily. She joined Lloyd on the ground. "Hey, are you lost little guy?"

"Lost? Notta chance!" he said, looking both proud and offended at the same time, somehow. Then his tone shifted entirely and he took on the persona of a dramatic storyteller. "You see, blondie, I'm on a journey to find and eat some potion."

The group fell silent for a minute as this sunk in.

"Uh, 'eat'?" said Genis, quirking an eyebrow. "Are you sure you're talking about potion?"

"It's something that's only for adults and it makes them feel good," the gnomelette explained matter-of-factly.

Zelos snorted. "Looks like he really does mean potion."

"Yeah, do you losers have any?"

Before anyone could answer, Sheena sighed irritably. "Look, that doesn't matter. Could you please give me back that gem?"

He glanced down at it like he'd forgotten it was there. "This thing? No way. It looks tasty."

"You can't eat an aquamarine," I told him nervously. "Be reasonable."

"Oh yes I can," he shot back. He lifted it to his mouth. "And I'm gonna, too, unless you losers give me some potion."

"Don't!" Sheena exclaimed. She looked around the group desperately. "Does _anybody _have any potion? Zelos?"

The Chosen in question jumped and shook his head. "O-Of course not. Why would I bring perfectly good potion on a dangerous journey like this? What do you take me for?"

Sheena, of course, wasn't fooled. She gave him her steeliest gaze and hissed, "Zelos Wilder I _know _you have potion, and if you don't give it to me then I will grind _you _into a potion and feed _you _to that gnomelette."

"Geez, relax. Fine." He hastily dug through his bag until he found it – a glass bottle filled with a dark amber liquid, similar to the Palma Potion we had to buy for those creeps. Reluctantly, he held it out to Sheena, who snatched it from his hands and hurried over to the gnomelette.

"Here," she said, holding it out to him. "Now, give me back my gem."

The gnomelette didn't waste any time. He tossed the aquamarine aside and snatched the potion from Sheena's hands.

While Sheena scrambled to grab it, I watched in horror as the gnomelette opened his mouth to an alarming size and shoved the _entire potion into his mouth._ He didn't just start drinking or chug it all in one gulp, he actually starting _eating the bottle itself. _I felt sick at the thought of crunching on glass, but the little guy didn't seem to be bothered. Shards of the bottle and streams of the liquid fell from his mouth, and he continued to thoughtfully chew.

"He really did want to eat it…" said Genis. His face looked the same as how I imagine mine did.

"Are…you okay…?" Lloyd asked hesitantly.

The gnomelette gradually slowed in his eating. Annoyance formed on his tiny face and he spat the rest of the glass onto the ground.

"Is this a joke?" he asked, chewing up the remaining glass in him mouth. "It doesn't even taste like anything! Is this what I've been travelling for all this time? This is lame!"

Sheena clutched the aquamarine tightly and shoved it into her bag. "Well, we had a deal. Sorry to disappoint you."

"Whatever, I'm going home. Later, losers!" The gnomelette turned and ran through a narrow crevice in the wall.

Lloyd stood and stared after him, bewildered. "What the heck was that all about?"

I shook my head to try and rid myself of that image. "I'd rather not think about it. Let's just keep looking."

We turned away from the wreckage of glass and alcohol and continued through the mines. It only took about another 15 minutes of walking until we came to a large cavern filled with wooden crates. A waterfall rushed down one side of the wall, gathering into a large pool at the bottom. Wooden bridges connected different sections of cavern where the water gathered into streams.

"This is where the inhibitor ore is mined," Regal explained while we all took in the beauty of the room. "We should be able to find a suitable sample leftover in one of these crates."

"Seriously? It's going to take forever to search every one of these crates," Zelos complained. He kicked a rock at one of the nearby boxes as though that would emphasize his point. "Let's just blow them all up!"

"That would wreck the inhibitor ore," I pointed out impatiently. While we _did _take extra bombs in case we ever had use for them again, I didn't feel like obliterating our chances of saving Presea.

"It won't kill you to search through some boxes," Sheena added.

Zelos rolled his eyes, but didn't say anything else and joined the rest of the group in spreading out across the room and searching crates.

I picked a random one and started digging. Everything inside just looked like rocks, and with my luck they probably were. I didn't even know what I was supposed to be looking for. Did Lloyd say that they were gold? Black? Purple? Ugh, I didn't know. Digging through the rocks was scratching my hands and chipping my nails. Secretly, I agreed with Zelos' complaining, but I wasn't about to voice that. I kept the thought of Presea's wellbeing at the front of my mind. That decrepit house. That rotting corpse…

I kept searching.

After a long while of searching, Lloyd found a crate filled halfway with inhibitor ore.

"I found it!"

I ceased in my searching and joined the others to gather around Lloyd's crate. Sure enough, I saw about 15 chunks of slightly golden rock.

"This is indeed inhibitor ore," Regal confirmed, peering into the crate.

Lloyd began digging through the ore until he found one that he liked. "Awesome! Now all I have to do is prepare this and we should be set."

"How long will it take?" asked Regal.

"To be honest, only a dwarf could do it right," Lloyd admitted, turning the ore over in his hands. "But, if I carve the charm directly into this, I think it'll serve in place of a Key Crest. If it works, it should only take a few minutes."

We all spread out across the cavern while Lloyd worked on the Key Crest. I really didn't have any time settle down or start some long activity, so I peered down into the rippling pool beneath us until he was finished, which barely took ten minutes.

Once he was done, he weighed the makeshift Key Crest in his hand. "I think this will do. We should get Dad or Altessa to make a better one after Presea's returned to normal."

Regal nodded. "I understand. Then, let's return. It is unbearable to leave Presea in that house steeped in the stench of death."

I watched Regal carefully. He may have been withholding information about his past, and I still wasn't sure how he knew Presea or why he was so concerned about her. However, in that moment he looked so intent on insuring her wellbeing that it was enough to put me at ease. There was nothing creepy or suspicious about his behaviour in that aspect, and as long as I kept that in my mind, his "secret" didn't seem so urgent to figure out.

As Lloyd and the others began heading back through the tunnel, I realized that Regal had caught me staring. His expression was cautious, questioning. He no doubt thought I was picking apart his character like Zelos.

To reassure him, I gave him a small smile. "Let's go help Presea, okay?"

He seemed surprised for a moment, but his overall expression relaxed. With the faintest hint of a smile, he said, "Yes, let's."

* * *

The trek back through the mines passed by uneventfully. It was as we were nearing the sparking ruins of the door system that things got…interesting.

"…It's no good. There are no Exspheres around here either."

My footsteps slowed as I heard the gruff, vaguely familiar voice. Where did I know that voice from…?

"_Vharley!"_

Right! That man Presea was talking to back in Meltokio. But wait, had that furious shout come from…

Regal?

Vharley, who I hadn't noticed standing up ahead, turned from talking to a pair of knights to the source of the voice. His eyes narrowed slightly. "Regal! So you're the one who destroyed the guard system outside."

I was right. It _was_ Regal who'd made that cry, and this was only confirmed further as he pushed to the front of the group. Gone was his usual stoic, thoughtful aura. His whole body shook with contained rage, the muscles in his arms tightening against his cuffs. He was really _angry._

"Vharley? The Exsphere broker?" Zelos gave Vharley a hard look, although it lacked the venom of Regal's. "What's he doing here?"

"Vharley…" Lloyd's jaw worked as he slowly began to remember the man we'd seen in Meltokio.

"Why are you here?!" Regal asked in total outrage. He looked disgusted. "Why has the Pope let you stay free? That's not what I agreed to!"

Vharley laughed loudly, and the sound grated on my ears unpleasantly. "Did you think the Pope would really keep a promise to a _murderer? _Besides, your side of the promise wasn't finished! You were supposed to bring us Colette, not join _sides _with her!"

Wait…what? _Murderer?! _I gaped at the giant man but he didn't even react to what was said. I could see everyone else showing visibly shocked reactions too, but at the moment we might as well have not even existed.

"_Silence!" _Regal roared. "If the Pope will not fulfill his promise, then I will punish you myself!" He took another threatening threat towards him.

This was enough to wipe that smug look off of Vharley's face. His face paled. "N-No way! I'm getting out of here!" With surprising speed for a man of his size, he turned and pushed past the two knights, causing them to scramble after him.

Regal didn't try to chase him. He glared after him, but I could see the rise and fall of his chest as he breathed deeply, trying his best to contain the anger he'd let loose.

No one was sure of what to say. A horrifying thought popped into my head and I immediately looked to Zelos. Had he known this whole time that Regal was a…a…

But he must have known what I was thinking, because he quickly shook his head. He looked just as shocked as anyone else.

"Regal, who is that man?" Colette spoke up, if only to break the silence.

Genis' hand was already inching towards his kendama. "He…he called you a murderer…"

It appeared that Regal had managed to calm himself down. He didn't look at any of us as he calmly said, "I am a prisoner serving time for the crime of murder. I…won't blame you if you look down on me."

Hearing him admit it like sounded odd, and it put a hitch in my surprise. He wasn't even going to try to deny it? Somehow, this started to put me at ease a bit.

Lloyd was the first one to speak. "What happened?"

"Explaining would be an excuse," said Regal, closing his eyes. "I committed a crime. That's all that needs to be said."

Once again, I felt the nervous tension leaving my body. The way Regal was holding himself, the way his whole body seemed to slump in shame…I couldn't be scared of him. That smile we'd shared not even an hour ago wasn't fake. Regal had killed someone – that didn't make him a murderer.

"My stupid actions have killed many people."

Regal opened his eyes to find Lloyd standing in front of him, wearing his signature look of determination.

"I don't know what you did," he continued, "and your crime won't go away, but when you're suffering, it's alright to at least say so."

Regal seemed unsure of how to react. "…You are kind. Perhaps someday I will have the opportunity to tell the story. I apologize…"

"We won't force you," said Raine. She seemed the most unaffected by the news, or at least she was the fastest to recover from it. "You haven't done anything to hinder us yet. We will continue to trust you. Now, let's go."

He nodded. "Understood."

As we continued to the exit and back to the docking point, everyone was pretty quiet. Because of this, I jumped when I suddenly heard Zelos' voice whispering in my ear.

"I swear to Martel that was _not _my theory."

"I'd hate to see what could be worse, if that's the case," I murmured, trying to hide how badly he'd frightened me. "You can't even tell me after _that?"_

He shook his head, pressing a finger to his lips. "Now I definitely have to wait and see how things unfold. Sorry, princess."

I pursed my lips together and looked at Regal. Genis was inching closer to him, looking like he had something on his mind.

Regal glanced down at him, the boy who distrusted him from the very beginning. He was probably expecting a harsh reaction from Genis.

"You've…killed a human being…" He swallowed hard.

Regal stared at him before closing his eyes and looking away. "That is correct."

Hearing him confirm it so blatantly, Genis tensed and stared at his feet. He was obviously trying to figure out what to say next.

Regal watched this reaction and sighed deeply. "I apologize. I imagine it's not easy travelling with a criminal. I hope you can tolerate me for a short while – just long enough for us to return Presea to normal."

Genis stared sadly at his feet. "I'm…I'm a murderer too…"

"What?" Regal stared at him in surprise.

"I've hurt countless people to protect myself," Genis explained, looking quite ashamed of himself. He was no doubt thinking specifically of the incident in Iselia. "I…don't know what it was that you did…but, I won't tell you to leave just because you've killed people."

Regal stared ahead at the ocean. "I see."

"Because, we're all the same," Genis clarified.

"…Thank you," said Regal. "Those are kind words."

Hearing this, Genis became flustered. "B-But that doesn't mean I like you, understand?!"

Struggling to keep a serious face, the older man bowed his head. "I see."

By the time we'd boarded the EC, conversation was rolling a bit more easily. Regal took a spot by himself near a corner, staring out at the ocean in deep thought. I waited until everyone was settled into their previous spots before walking over and leaning on the edge next to him.

"Hi."

He glanced briefly down at me before returning his gaze to the sea. "Hello…Aurelia, correct?"

I nodded, before realizing that he probably couldn't see it so I awkwardly said, "Yeah."

Naturally, a thick silence followed. It wasn't like Regal and I had ever shared much conversation. In fact, he didn't really seem to converse much with anyone. I was just about to speak up to break the silence when, to my surprise, he spoke first.

"Your face has shown improvement."

I blinked in confusion before realizing he was talking about my nose. "Oh, right," I said, absently touching it. To be honest, it was still a bit tender, and I hadn't gotten a chance to look at it. "Well, it feels a lot better."

"Again, I apologize," he said quietly. "I did my best to avoid causing too much damage to anyone."

I waved my hand. "Hey, don't worry about it." I hesitated before speaking again. "Um, listen, can I tell you something?"

His eyes flickered towards me once. "Certainly."

"Okay, um…the thing is, you don't seem like a bad person," I began nervously. I fiddled with a stray piece of hair as I tried my hardest not to sound unintelligent. "I know you don't want to talk about what you did, but I just wanted to say that I think you're a nice enough person, and, well, I'm not really one to judge, because I'm a Desian."

"I remember the others telling me that," he said, referring to the night we'd explained the whole situation to him and the others. "However, they did not go into great detail."

I nodded quickly. "My childhood was a lie, to put it simply. If I'd just taken the time to open my eyes a little and actually realize what was going on…" I trailed off, not quite sure where I was trying to take this.

What would I have done? Could I have single-handedly stopped Cruxis by myself? It was a nice idea, but far from sensible.

"I might have been able to change Lord Yggdrasill's mind," I said dumbly. It was hard to feel eloquent when talking to Regal – every sentence that came out of his mouth seemed carefully thought out and well-worded. "Or make some kind of difference. Instead, I sat by while so many people suffered and died."

He took my words into consideration. "I would not be so hard on yourself. While I do not mean to belittle your words, that situation is different. You could not have stopped the deaths by yourself, especially without knowing they were happening in the first place."

"But once I found out, I killed my own kind," I said softly. Even still, the memory of my first kill caused the hair on my arm to stand, my stomach to twist. "I've helped the others kill countless Desians, two of the Grand Cardinals…" A lump formed in my throat and I found it difficult to continue, but I pushed through. "There was a boy."

Out of everything I'd said, this caught his attention the most. He now focused his eyes on me, ignoring the water.

"This…horrible woman hurt him," I went on, fighting to keep an even tone. "She poisoned him horribly. To the point where he couldn't even bare to wait for the cure. It was the kind of poison you would kill yourself just to get away from, and it infected his whole body." I met him straight in the eye, finding his expression calming. "He asked me to kill him. So I did."

Something drastic shifted in his expression. Was it horror? Pain? Shock? I couldn't tell, but he quickly turned back to the ocean.

"I'm…sorry to hear that," he said stiffly. "Truly, I am."

With his attention focused elsewhere, I didn't feel so awkward about wiping the stray tear from my eye. "Thanks. M-My point is that…I don't think you're evil. Otherwise you wouldn't feel so…visibly guilty about it. The fact that you're trying to move past it proves that."

I could have sworn I saw him smile. "You are all kind people."

"Well, we're all kind of the sa–"

"I DID IT!"

I craned my neck to see what the commotion was about. Lloyd was dancing about the deck, a torn piece of paper clutched tightly in his hands. He stopped in front of Zelos and proudly thrust in into his hands.

"Check it out," he urged him. "I know I got it right, I _know _it!"

Zelos scratched his head as he struggled to make out the messy writing. Squinting his eyes, he muttered some things under his breath before letting out a low whistle and handing the sheet back to Lloyd.

"Nice work, Bud. You actually did it!"

"_YES!" _This caused Lloyd to resume dancing, which was loud enough to cause a bothered Raine to emerge from below deck and begin yelling at him to stop jumping around before he tipped us all into the water.

"Professor, _look!" _He shoved the paper into her unsteady hands.

Her face lit up as she realized what she was reading. "Unbelievable! You actually solved Zelos' puzzle?"

He nodded proudly, tapping the side of his head.

"Hooray, Lloyd!" Colette cheered.

I laughed, shaking my head. That was the thing about this group. We'd been through rough spots. We'd all done things we weren't proud of. Taken lives. But moments like this seemed to make those regrets disappear. These little things to celebrate kept us human, and were what kept us from being true murderers.

To prove this point to myself, I snuck a glance at Regal and sure enough, he had the faintest hint of an amused smile on his face.

* * *

**I'm going to be totally honest, this chapter was a pain in the ass to write. Literally the only part I enjoyed was from when Vharley appeared and onward til the end. Hooray for character bonding! I love Regal, and I think he can relate to hearing Aurelia's story about Alicia - which will no doubt become clear to her once the group finds out c:**

**Anyway, leave a review telling me what you think, please and thanks! Have a great day guys**


	33. Memorial

**Hey guys!**

**I've been chipping away at this for a few months now when I found the chance, but I just finished it all in one chunk today and last night. Senior year has just kept me so busy! I apologize!**

**Also, if anyone has been wondering why I talked about rewrites and only did two chapters, I decided to post them all at once when I'm finished for continuity's sake. So they are happening! Just maybe not for a little while.**

**For those I couldn't personally thank (Solyeuse and Natulcien) thank you for your reviews! I really appreciate them :)**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter! There was a lot of talking near the end of this, ugh, holay**

* * *

"_That's them! That's the wanted criminals!"_

These were the first words I heard as we stepped into Ozette. A man scurried down the path and away from the group of Papal Knights that were awaiting our arrival.

"Ah, crap, not the Papal Knights again," Zelos muttered in annoyance. Already, he was pulling his sword from his belt in preparation for a fight. "Do you guys take joy in stalking me, or something?"

"Master Zelos," the head knight, clad in golden armor, said. I could imagine the smirk on his face as he pointed his halberd towards the Chosen's throat. "I trust you are well."

"I'd be better if you guys would leave me the hell alone," he shot back.

I glanced around. Our chances of escape were blocked as knights moved in from every possible exit, effectively leaving us surrounded.

"Dammit…" Lloyd hissed.

"Remember, capture Colette alive!" the commander barked. He gave his axe a great swing that Zelos barely had time to move away from. The blade left a thin slice on his throat, causing him to stumble back.

I whipped my spear out and charged at him before he could attack Zelos again. His gold armor was a lot thicker and better crafted than a regular knight's, and my blade barely made a scratch.

"_Drill Strike!" _The twisting of the spear made it much easier to tear through his armor and actually do some damage. I hastily jumped away from him before he could counterattack. Zelos immediately fell back in to attack him while he was still stunned, while I continued to circle around him in assistance.

The others managed to take down the group of Papal Knights with little trouble, and with Zelos and I teaming up on the leader, he was soon on the ground from a sword to the stomach.

"They just don't give up," Lloyd said breathlessly, sheathing his swords and wiping sweat from his brow.

I glanced around. The man who'd pointed us out was long gone, and any lingering villagers had locked themselves in their houses for fear of being attacked. Still, I could feel suspicious eyes boring into us from behind closed windows.

Colette, meanwhile, was staring at the bodies around us, looking quite depressed.

"It's my fault again," she said guiltily. "I'm so sorry everyone."

Zelos stepped over the fallen knights to lay a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Don't be silly. They're after my life, too." Wrapping his arm around her completely, he began nodding towards different members of the group. "The Professor and Genis are wanted because they're escaped half-elves. Sheena is from Mizuho, who are now considered a village of traitors. Lloyd and Aurelia are part of the band of Sylvaranti aliens, and then I don't even think I need to start on Regal."

Everyone gave him looks of disproval, but he shrugged it off.

"So you see," he continued, giving her a light squeeze, "we're all in the same boat. Cheer up, little angel."

Her face brightened a little. "Thanks, Zelos."

"Stop thinking everything's your fault," Lloyd scolded her. He was trying his best to sound gentle, but I could tell he was frustrated with how hard she was on herself.

Her face fell again. "I'm sorry Lloyd."

He looked even more frustrated. "Colette, you don't have to apologize for – "

"_OW!" _She suddenly dropped to her knees, gripping her shoulder tightly with a face contorted in pain. "Ugh…_owwww, ow, ow!"_

"_Colette!" _Lloyd dropped to the ground beside her. "Colette? Professor, Colette's –!"

Raine knelt down beside Colette and placed a hand on her forehead. The girl instantly fell into the professor's arms, her breath shaky with sobs of pain.

"She's running a fever," said Raine urgently. She attempted to ease Colette into a straighter position, but any movement seemed to worsen things. "But…what could be causing this much pain?"

"Move…"

I raised an eyebrow as Presea stepped forward. Raine lifted her head to look at the younger girl in confusion.

"P-Presea?"

"Please leave this…to me…"

Her face was unreadable, as always. It wasn't that often that Presea spoke out like this. What was going on? Where had she even come from? What had she been doing all this time?

Raine's face mirrored my own confusion, but she complied all the same. She managed to set Colette in a position where she was able to kneel on her own, and allowed Presea to proceed with…whatever it was she was going to do.

Presea stood in front of Colette, whose eyes were squeezed shut from the pain. She remained still for a moment, before suddenly brandishing her axe and swinging it in a full circle, causing all of us to jump back to avoid being sliced open.

"Presea, what are you doing?!" I demanded angrily. I rubbed my now skinned palms, which I'd been forced to use to catch my fall. What the hell was going on?!

She didn't even bat an eyelash at me. Instead, she turned her axe on Colette, using the flat side of the blade to smack Colette upside the head and knock her unconscious.

"_Colette!" _Lloyd exclaimed. He jumped to his feet and attempted to run to her rescue.

Presea turned her axe on him, blocking his progress. Again, there was no emotion on her face. I had no way of knowing what was going through her mind right now.

"Good work, Presea."

_That voice…_

I immediately knew from the sense of my skin crawling that it was Rodyle, even before he stepped forth from the shadows. He stood behind Presea, flashing us all that slimy grin of his.

"Rodyle," I growled. It took all I had not dive across the clearing and strangle him. What was he up to?

Rodyle brought his white-gloved fingers to his lips and blew, a loud whistle sounding out. I felt a strong wind blow my hair back as a pair of large, threatening dragons with deep purple scales and sharp claws swooped over us. They were far larger and far more threatening than those we'd ridden in Hima.

"Those would be the dragons you warned us about," said Lloyd. He gripped his swords tightly, his eyes following the beasts' movements carefully. He tried to run forward and retrieve Colette, but was knocked back as one of the dragons dipped down and captured the Chosen in its large talons.

"Dammit!" Sheena exclaimed as Rodyle and Presea began to hurry towards the edge of the path where the other dragon was waiting to receive them. "_Corrine!"_

The tiny summon spirit sprang forward and made a mad dive for Rodyle. However, like the slippery snake he was, he was able to avoid being hit and it was instead Presea that was knocked to the ground. Rodyle didn't look back as he leapt onto the back of his dragon and took to the sky.

"Rodyle!" I shouted furiously.

He paused mid-flight to turn his dragon around and sneer down at me.

"Hello there, Aurelia! I hope you don't mind me taking the Chosen. Hehehehehe!"

That laugh made me want to jump up there and rip his throat out. I settled instead for using Reach and allowing the blade of my spear to shoot up towards him. However, Rodyle skillfully maneuvered the dragon out of the way and, amidst the spells being flung at him, disappeared into the sky.

"Colette!" Lloyd was feverishly pacing across the clearing, as though he'd discover a way he could fly up and reach her. I watched his form slump as he slowed down, looking hopeless.

"What do we do?" Genis asked in a panic. "He just took Colette away!"

Lloyd turned to scan the group. He ran a hand through his hair.

"Lloyd." Regal spoke quietly, almost hesitantly. "I understand the urgency of what just happened, but…if you could…"

I already knew what he was going to ask. I looked at Presea, who had only just gotten to her feet. I felt an anger burning deep in my gut. As badly as I wanted to take it out on her for letting Rodyle get away with this, I knew it wasn't fair. It wasn't her fault, and once she was back to normal we'd be able to work things out.

The look in Lloyd's eyes told me that he shared similar thoughts. "O-Of course." He retrieved the charm from his pocket and approached Presea. Looking nervous, he attached the charm to the Exsphere on her neck and took a step back.

Presea slowly began to blink. The dullness in her eyes was fading, like murky water slowly becoming pure and clear. She squinted around the clearing, and her expression was filled with confusion. Lastly of all, she turned to the rest of us, and while it _did_ seem like she still recognized us, her brow was still furrowed with confusion.

"Presea?" asked Genis. "Are you okay?"

"What?" She gave her head a quick shake and continued to stare around her. "What am I doing? Where's my daddy?"

My heart clenched at the mention of her father. I felt the air in the group grow heavy with tension. Who was going to be the one to tell her what was going on?

Lloyd didn't meet her eyes when he spoke. "There's…something you should probably see, Presea."

Her eyes narrowed. "I want to go home."

"We'll take you there," he said with a sullen nod.

The walk to Presea's house was quiet, in more ways than one. No one in the group felt like speaking. What could anyone say to try to fix the situation? She was really just going to have to see the mess for herself, as painful as it was going to be.

Not only that, but the streets were deserted. When the Papal Knights had arrived, everyone must have locked themselves in their houses – not that I blamed them. One wrong look and you could easily be arrested for "treason against the kingdom" the way these knights liked to behave. Indeed, I could feel wary eyes glaring out at us from behind closed windows and drawn blinds as we passed.

Eventually, we made our way down the grassy hill to Presea's house. She eyed it uncertainly as she approached, taking in its state of disrepair with wide eyes. This same expression stayed on her face as she made her way through the rotting house.

"I…What have I been doing?" she asked in a quivering tone. She'd now reached the room where her father lay decaying in the bed. She looked horrified as she approached the lump in the bed. While I had to cover my nose from the stench, Presea didn't seem affected. With Regal following close behind her, she walked up to the bed and threw the blankets back.

As soon as she saw the corpse of her father, she let out the most agonizing scream I've ever heard. The sight of her father just lying there…dead...she couldn't support her weight and fell to her knees. Her whole body shook, and Regal placed a strong hand on her should in an effort to comfort her. She wrenched away from him and crawled the short distance to the bedside, lifting a trembling hand to touch warped skin.

The sight was almost too heartbreaking to watch. After never witnessing a single emotion come from Presea, seeing this much anguish was overwhelming. Her small body shook violently with tremors, and while she didn't cry she did let out sharp, painful noises.

"We should prepare a burial," Raine said solemnly.

"I'll start digging," I said shortly. I couldn't bear to witness this scene anymore. So, I headed outside in search of a shovel.

I didn't have to look far, as there was a mess of tools piled on one side of the deck. I grabbed a shovel and looked around the yard. There was a space where the grass was thin and the dirt looked soft. I figured it was a good enough spot and I started digging.

I did my best to block thoughts out from my brain, but it was difficult. While Presea's breakdown was upsetting, it was Colette's kidnapping that was worrying me the most.

I didn't notice Lloyd approaching until his shovel hit the dirt beside me. I paused to look over at him. His face was drawn tight, and he feigned in being focused on his task.

"We'll find her," I said, although it failed to reassure even me.

"Those bastards," he hissed, stabbing his shovel into the earth. "Why can't they just leave Colette alone? She doesn't deserve any of this!"

I leaned my chin on the handle of my shovel and breathed in deeply. "That's what's worrying me – it's Rodyle. He might want her for something else entirely. There's just no way to tell with him."

He said nothing, but continued his digging with more force.

Right. That probably wasn't the best thing to say to him when he was worried enough already. Not only was I succeeding in making Lloyd more upset, I was even making myself depressed. I was supposed to be trying to cheer us up.

"But, his plans often fall through," I hastily added. "He gives himself a lot more credit than he deserves. I'm positive we'll get her back, Lloyd."

His lips twitched in an attempt at a smile, but other than that he didn't look reassured.

I sighed and continued with my own digging. Lloyd had the right idea – stabbing a hard object into the ground again and again was a good source to take out my frustration on. Between the two of us, the grave was soon finished.

As I hauled myself up and out of the hole in the ground, I saw that the others were beginning to file out of the house. All but Presea – she was absent.

Zelos jogged over to us with a grim look on his face. "Yo, bud. Do you wanna help me carry…well, you know."

"Uh, y-yeah." Lloyd swallowed hard and, wiping sweat off his brow, followed the Chosen back into Presea's house.

I dropped my shovel and went to join Sheena in her search for flowers at the edge of the clearing. It was a nice idea, really. If we were going to help bury Presea's father, we should at least do our best to pay respects.

"How is she?" I asked quietly, kneeling down in the grass.

Sheena paused and shook her head. "We tried to move her so we could prepare the body for a burial, but…she refused to leave his side. She's hysterical."

"Dammit." I let the curse escape with a breath and absently began pulling flowers from the ground.

"None of this is fair. She's just a kid." She angrily set the flowers she'd gathered into a tattered, wicker basket that obviously belonged to Presea. Her face was drawn tight with the grief of this whole situation.

"Cruxis doesn't care," I said sadly. I began plucking petals from a stray flower. "As far as Lord Yggdrasill is concerned, we're all just inferior beings with no purpose but to be used." My chest constricted as I spoke these words. I turned away to see how the others were faring.

Zelos and Lloyd were carrying the body down the front steps. It was wrapped in layers of burlap and tied at intervals with thin pieces of cord. Presea trailed behind them, her face cast to the ground. She continued to stare downwards even as Lloyd and Zelos began lowering the body into the grave.

Once that was finished, Lloyd left Zelos filling in the grave to find something to use as a headstone. With each pile of dirt that Zelos dropped into the hole, Presea's face grew more and more distressed. Her eyes were now locked onto the body in the grave, and even from where I sat I could see the tremors shaking her body.

"This should be enough," said Sheena. I glanced over and saw that she was watching the same scene as me.

I nodded. The two of us stood and headed over to where Lloyd was whittling away at a tall block of wood.

"We picked flowers," I said, while Sheena set the basket down on the porch beside him.

He glanced up at us, giving a tired smile. "Thanks, guys. We can put them on the grave when Zelos is finished."

Raine emerged from the house, and in her hands was a tall axe with a pointed end, quite similar to Presea's.

"I found this inside. It appears to have belonged to her father." Raine glanced at Presea when she was finished speaking, and judging by the wistful look the girl was giving the axe, she appeared to be right.

Lloyd finishing sharpening the end of the post. Zelos formed a pile of dirt at the head of the grave, and Lloyd stuck the post into the top of it. Sheena and I arranged the flowers along the bottom, and that just left…

Raine approached Presea cautiously, holding out the axe to her. "Presea, would you like to do the honours?"

Presea's eyes welled up as she gazed at the axe, but she managed to swallow back her tears and nodded resolutely. She took the axe from Raine and, crossing it with the post, stuck it into the mound of dirt.

The group was silent for several minutes as we paid our respects and allowed Presea to say her silent goodbyes. Nobody wanted to speak before she did, before she was ready. No one was about to take that right from her.

Finally, she breathed a deep sigh and turned around to look at us all. Her eyes were red from the silent tears she'd been crying, but she looked otherwise composed.

"Thank you for assisting me with my daddy's burial," she said. Her voice was now much different than it had been before. It was higher, more fitting to her appearance. Still, it was small and slightly trembling due to her current state.

"Have you calmed down a little?" Raine asked her gently.

She nodded, her eyes drifting to the ground once more. "I…I've been a great burden on you all."

"You remember?" said Lloyd. He looked surprised – he no doubt figured her condition was similar to what Colette's had been.

"Yes…mostly…"

"Why did you have an Exsphere like that on you?" Genis asked, then looked like he regretted it. It was a bit of a sensitive time to be asking questions.

She didn't seem to mind. "I received it from a person named Vharley."

I felt Regal tense beside me. "I knew it…_Vharley._" His usually calm and collected voice came out as a hiss.

"I wanted to save my sick daddy," Presea explained. "I wanted to learn how to wield an axe, so I could work in my daddy's place. So, Vharley introduced me to Rodyle, and I was taken to the Research Academy in Sybak."

"How does Rodyle have ties to the Research Academy?" I wondered out loud. It didn't make any sense.

Zelos looked at me in thought, and then back to Presea. "The experiments on you were carried out by order of the Pope, right?"

It was then that I remembered Zelos interrogating Kate before we left the Academy.

Lloyd's eyes widened in alarm. "Which means that Rodyle guy is in league with the Pope!"

I breathed in sharply. "Oh great. That's just what we need." My heart was pounding now. This definitely wasn't good. If Rodyle had the Pope's ear, then he basically had the King's as well.

Regal didn't seem concerned by this development. Now that Presea had her emotions back, his burning curiosity was getting the better of him.

"Presea. Do you have an older sister?"

She looked puzzled for a moment, but shook her head. "No."

He frowned. Now it was his turn to look confused.

"Do you have any other family?" asked Raine. This question seemed to be more of an attempt to be helpful than for her own personal knowledge.

"I have a younger sister," Presea replied. At the thought of this, a small smile formed on her face. "She left to go into service for a noble, and that was the last I saw of her. And…my mommy died when I was a child." The smile dropped from her face and her eyes drifted downwards.

"_When _you were a child?" Despite the situation, Zelos couldn't help but let out a small chuckle. "Heh, you're still a child now."

She remained silent for a moment before she seemed to recognize his words. "Oh…y-yes, of course. That's right."

"At any rate, we can't just leave you by yourself in this village if you have no one to turn to," said Sheena. Her tone was sad – she felt bad for Presea, being all alone like this.

"Yes, the people of this village seem to avoid her," said Raine. She cast a disapproving glance over her shoulder at the direction of the village.

"I…uh…I'd like to go with all of you, if that would be alright," Presea spoke up nervously.

Lloyd's eyebrows rose up. "What? Why?"

She looked sad, but a quiet determination was in her voice. "It's my fault Colette was taken away. So please, allow me to help in her rescue."

"Please allow me to come along as well," said Regal, seeming to have finally snapped out of his strange little daze. "It seems that my fate is linked to your enemy."

Lloyd looked around the group. "Is that okay with everyone else?"

Sheena gave them both a smile. "We've already come all this way together. You shouldn't even have to ask!"

"Exactly," Zelos agreed.

"I'm okay with it," said Genis. I assumed he was only referring to Presea, though.

"Truthfully, I'd like to oppose this," Raine said with a sigh, "but I already knew it would end up like this."

"We'll be glad to have you along," I added cheerfully.

Lloyd shrugged and smiled at them. "Well, there you have it! Please, help us save Colette."

Presea nodded resolutely. "I will!"

"Thank you," said Regal, bowing his head. "I am in your debt. I shall not betray your trust."

"Now, let's hurry and find Colette," Raine urged. "The dragons were headed east, were they not?"

"So, you've lost the Chosen."

For the second time today, I was hearing a voice that sent a chill up my spine. This time, however, it was for a completely different reason.

Kratos Aurion approached us, still dressed in his regal Cruxis uniform. It was so strange to see him like that, despite the fact that it was how I'd always known him. Still, if I ignored the suit and just focused on him, it was easy to forget what happened. The look of disdain he was giving us easily could have come after me making a joke at his expense. He was here to tell us where to go. To keep us on track.

"You again!" Lloyd exploded. Seeing Kratos, he must have seen him as a suitable source for his anger. "What have you done with Colette?!"

Kratos didn't seem effected by the outburst. "Rodyle is ignoring our orders and acting on his own. I know nothing of it."

"That's nothing new," I remarked. I still had the strange sensation that he was still with us, and that this was just a normal conversation. I was way calmer than I should have been. "You have no idea what he's up to, then?"

He glanced at me, and we shared a look of understanding. I recognized the annoyance in his eyes. Rodyle's divergence was probably wearing thin with everyone in Cruxis. It had been that way even before I'd left.

"I can only speculate," he replied. "However, I am sure Yggdrasill has his theories."

"Internal strife?" Raine spoke up, looking smug. "How pathetic."

Hearing Raine's jab, Kratos seemed to catch himself. Could it be that he'd forgotten for a moment as well? I doubted it, but it caused a small spark of hope to light up within me.

"Say what you will," he said shortly. "Either way, he will have no choice but to abandon the Chosen."

"What do you mean?" asked Lloyd, looking cautious.

"The Chosen is useless as she is now. You can let her be."

Before I had a chance to wonder what he meant, Lloyd was exploding again.

"How _dare _you call Colette useless?! You've got to be kidding me! We're going to rescue her no matter what, and you're not going to get in our way! I swear, if you do, I'll…I'll…" He trailed off, his anger leaving him speechless. Instead, he let out an angry yell and charged at Kratos with one sword drawn.

Kratos effortlessly countered the attack and Lloyd was sent stumbling back. He glared at the angel furiously, his breathing heavy.

"Then, I suggest you seek the rheairds and head for the eastern skies," Kratos said calmly as he sheathed his sword. "I'm sure the people of Mizuho have located them by now."

Lloyd stared at him in stun, unable to say anything as Kratos disappeared into the trees from where he came. The words only found him once he was long gone from sight.

"What…what is that guy trying to do?" He looked pretty frustrated.

"Ah, well, who cares?" Zelos said lightheartedly. "If he's useful, make use of him."

"I care," Sheena said nervously. "He has no reason to help us. He's our enemy."

"Plus he and Aurelia are being civil," Genis added, looking genuinely confused. "That was a rare occurrence even when we thought he was on our side."

I rolled my eyes, but I secretly agreed. The moments we did happen to get along back in Sylvarant were nice, now that I thought about it. All this time I'd been so angry at him for betraying us that I hadn't realized that deep down, I actually missed his presence. I couldn't make myself just feel pure hatred towards him because, after all, he _had _been our companion. I couldn't have been the only one who felt this way, could I? Lloyd had been closer to him than any of us, yet he showed the most anger towards him.

_That's because he's hurt, _I realized. That much should have been obvious. Lloyd was hurt that Kratos would betray him like that because he had a lot of trust in him. Those words I'd desperately spoken to Kratos in the Tower of Salvation hadn't been a lie. Lloyd really did look up to him as a mentor, as hard as Kratos could be on him.

It was decided that start on the way to Mizuho until night fell, and then set up camp. None of us felt safe staying in Ozette now, so we decided it best to keep our distance.

As we walked, I continued to ponder. Lloyd was pissed, and hurt and betrayed. That was the source of all of his hostility towards Kratos. It was understandable, really. I'd felt that way at first too. By all rights, I should have still felt that way. As much as I'd bickered with Kratos in Derris-Kharlan, things had been slightly different in Sylvarant. If he truly hated me, he would have given me away to the group. Then again, it probably had been to keep his own identity concealed, even if I couldn't remember it.

Still, we had our silent truce. As badly as I wanted to hate him like the others did, I couldn't forget about that one fact. I was truly grateful it had existed. Because of it, I knew that if eventually my tangle of lies had become too messy to control, he may have stepped in to help. He saved me several times – during the Seal of Water fight, from Kilia's attack, from Yuan in Hima.

Besides all that, there was still one thing that was giving me hope. No one else had seen his hesitation in the Tower of Salvation when Lord Yggdrasill had been about to kill Lloyd. That was all the proof I needed to hold on to. It was what kept me from truly hating him. More than anything, I just felt hurt that he'd chosen Cruxis over us.

"But if that's the case, why is he helping us?" I murmured. It took me a moment to realize I'd spoken out loud, but thankfully no one heard me.

I glanced at Lloyd to see how he was doing. His head was bowed as he walked, his shoulders slumped slightly. Had he been this bad when we'd come across Kratos in Sybak? As I recalled, he'd spent the rest of the night doing homework. What I'd mistaken for concentration could very well have been him actually being upset.

As the sun dropped in the sky, so did my mood. Somewhere along the way, I'd begun worrying about Colette as well, and what Rodyle's plans were. The fact that he was working with the Pope troubled me a lot. That meant it just doubled the ways the two of them could be able to screw up our journey.

I sighed and sunk to the ground once the camp was set up. Zelos whipped up a quick supper for us all, although I wasn't really hungry. Still, I tried my best to force in what little food I could.

Lloyd, on the other hand, didn't touch his food at all. He left the plate abandoned on the ground beside him, and continued to stare distantly into the fire.

I frowned. This was worrying me. I didn't like the thought of Lloyd being so upset over Kratos, although I did realize Colette's kidnapping had something to do with it. Still, I felt I should do something.

"Hey, Lloyd."

He didn't lift his chin from his palm, but his eyes did look over my way.

I stood up and nodded in a random direction. "How about we go for a walk?"

He looked like he was about to say no, but I sent him a purposeful look. Right away, he seemed to know what it was about and reluctantly nodded. "Fine."

I glanced at Raine and tried to give her the same look. She must have noticed Lloyd's behaviour as well, because she miraculously understood me, too.

With that settled, the two of us started down a forest path off the main road that wasn't too overgrown. We walked in silence for a while. I wasn't sure how I wanted to go about this – what if I made things worse? I decided to go for the safe route.

"How are you feeling?" I asked quietly.

He shrugged, kicking at some rocks.

I irritably let out a long breath and stopped in my tracks. Lloyd stopped as well, looking at me in surprise.

"Talk to me, Lloyd," I said desperately. "I know you're upset, because I am too. I'm not just doing this for you, you know."

He looked guilty then. His brown eyes fell to the ground. "I'm sorry, Aurelia. You're right. I just…today sucked." He began to pace around, his anger transferring into energy, somehow. "Colette getting kidnapped, burying Presea's father, Kratos showing up –" He cut off at this last part, so abruptly that it startled me. When he spoke again, his voice was softer. "It all just sucks."

"I know it does." I stared up at the sky, trying to pick out constellations through breaks in the treetops. "But I know what you're really upset about. I am too."

He looked at me briefly in surprise before following my gaze. "I just don't get it. He…he _betrayed _us, and yet he shows up and tries to help us." His voice took on more and more emotion as he spoke. "I feel like he's just trying to give us false hope, and that makes me even angrier, but what if he _is _trying to help us?" He shook his head angrily. "Gah, what am I thinking? Of course he isn't. Kratos betrayed us and I need to accept that already."

I looked over at him. Suddenly, I felt really sad. "So that's why you're so hostile towards him."

"I just keep thinking that, if I act like I hate him enough, maybe it will start to become true." He met my eyes, and I could now fully see the hurt he was trying so hard to hide. "But he was our friend. Maybe he was grumpy and impatient and hard on me but he was still our friend. He still helped us fight and kept your secret and spent all that time with us. Even if it was all a lie, those memories are still there. Did he really not mean any of it?" When his voice began to waver, he turned his head away.

"I know what you mean," I said. "For obvious reasons, I always had a hard time trusting Kratos, but I realize now that he did have my back, even if it was for his own gain. But Lloyd…" I breathed in deeply for continuing, feeling somehow nervous about what I was going to say. "There's something you should know. Something I would have told you earlier, had I known you were this upset."

Curiosity forced him to turn his head. "What is it?"

"Lord Yggdrasill almost killed you in the Tower of Salvation," I told him, although that much he no doubt already figured. "Kratos didn't try to stop him or anything, but…well, he wanted to. I know he did." I hadn't been this certain at the time, but looking back I truly believed it. "It…it isn't much, but…it's something. I don't think the fact that he's helping us is unrelated."

Even at this almost unimportant detail, Lloyd's body seemed to relax immensely. "That's really true?

I nodded quickly. "I promise. It's why I was able to speak with him so calmly today. I…I miss him too, Lloyd, as much as I complained about him. It's alright to be upset. You don't have to keep it bottled up just because you think it's unjustified."

There was a brief pause where neither of us spoke. Then, Lloyd reached forward and hugged me tightly.

"Thanks, Aurelia," he whispered. "I needed to hear that."

I smiled and returned the hug. "Don't worry about it. You're allowed to seek comfort too, you know. Not just hand it out."

He pulled away from me, and, to my relief, he was smiling.

"I'll keep that in mind. Thanks."

I motioned back the way we came. "Now then, we should probably get back before Zelos has time to think up inappropriate jokes."

He laughed and gave me a gentle push, and then we headed back up the path. Thankfully, we hadn't been gone too long, and the group was still awake and settled around the fire.

"Are you feeling better?" Sheena asked nervously, unsure if she should even be asking at all.

Lloyd nodded and gave her a reassuring smile. "I'm fine now. Sorry if I worried you."

Zelos glanced between the two of us, a barely supressed grin on his face.

"What are you smiling about?" I asked. I was a bit scared of the answer, to be honest.

He shrugged, but his grin only grew. "Oh nothing. I'm just remembering something you said to me one time. I think it might have been in Meltokio, actually."

I strained my mind trying to think of what he could be talking about before he could do any damage with it. Unfortunately, my mind was drawing a blank.

"I don't know what you're talking about," I said, foolishly hoping the conversation would end there.

"I think it was something about Lloyd having a better chance of sleeping with you than me, didn't it?" His grin was plain in sight now. "Isn't that what you said?"

"Aurelia!" said Raine, giving me a look of immense disapproval.

It took me a minute to respond to her, seeing as I was too busy gaping angrily at Zelos. "He's…he's taking that _completely _out of context! I didn't just randomly say it!"

"Then why did you?" asked Lloyd, looking completely bewildered. He tended to be a bit oblivious when it came to things like this, but even_ Genis _had understood what Zelos meant. Lloyd wasn't _that _stupid. His face had flushed to a bright red.

"Yeah, princess, why did you?" Zelos chimed in. He looked positively ecstatic at my discomfort level right now, and I knew why. Either I was going to have to leave them to wonder what could have possibly brought me to say something like that, or relive the embarrassing incident of walking in on Zelos and that girl.

"Careful, there are children present," he added quietly so that only I could hear him.

I made a high-pitched sound of pure frustration. "I…um, well I don't really want to say."

"I have a feeling it was Zelos' fault," Sheena noted.

"Of course it was," I muttered. I gave Zelos a final angry look before sitting down next to him. "I'm not going to embarrass myself any further, though. Sorry, Lloyd. It's not really an appropriate story."

"That's likely for the best." Raine gave the two of us a stern look.

If possible, Lloyd looked even more confused. "I don't get it."

While Raine began to lecture him, I turned to Zelos, who was wearing a positively triumphant smirk.

"Was that really necessary?" I growled under my breath.

He wrapped an arm around my shoulders and squeezed. "Yup. Consider it my payback for that little prank you and Genis pulled in Mizuho. Now we're even."

I resisted the urge to slap him. "I _guess _that's fair. Even though I could technically say that prank was payback for the very incident you're talking about."

"That wasn't really my fault," he pointed out cheerfully. "Plus, I made it up to you by putting Lisa on garbage duty, remember?"

…Dammit, he had a point.

"Fine," I said in defeat. I was beginning to learn it was pretty hard to win an argument with Zelos.

* * *

The next morning, we were back on our way to Mizuho. Despite having to walk through the creepy forest, Lloyd was, thankfully, in a bit brighter spirits than the night before. At least his worries about Kratos had been slightly eased, but I could tell he was still worried about Colette.

Speaking of which, Raine looked troubled about something. She was murmuring to herself constantly, as if contemplating something.

"I just can't stop wondering what it means," she said at last.

"What what means?" asked Zelos, raising an eyebrow. "Have you figured something out about Cruxis' schemes?"

Realizing Lloyd, Zelos and I were listening, she nodded. "Just recently they've been saying that the Chosen is useless. They keep saying that. Yet Colette is supposed to possess the necessary properties to become Martel's vessel. So what are they talking about?"

Lloyd thought this over, perking up slightly. "Hey, now that you mention it, you're right. I mean, I'd understand it if they said _Zelos _was useless."

"Hmmm, yeah you're right," Zelos agreed thoughtfully.

Lloyd and I exchanged a look, trying not to burst into laughter.

"Hey, wait a minute!" he exclaimed after several long seconds. He scowled at Lloyd. "What's that second comment supposed to mean?!"

The two of us failed in holding in our laughter.

"Quit joking around, you three!" Raine snapped at us, causing us all to recoil in shame. She sighed deeply, looking worried. "This may mean that Colette is still hiding something."

That was enough to sober us completely. I chewed on my lip as I thought it over. But Colette seemed so happy since she got her soul back. I didn't think there was anything else she had to worry about now. Did we do something wrong? Was the Key Crest failing her?

I remembered the day before, just before Presea had attacked us. She'd clutched at her arm in pain – but why? Had Presea or Rodyle done something to incapacitate her? Or was it part of what she was hiding?

Well, there went my kind-of good mood. The rest of the trip went by quietly, or at least it seemed that way. With Colette gone, Sheena leading us through the forest and Lloyd, Raine, Zelos and I brooding over this new possibility, there wasn't much conversation going on, save for Genis' failed attempts at flirting with Presea.

We arrived in Mizuho around dinnertime. There wasn't really much time to waste if we wanted to rescue Colette quickly, so we headed straight to see Tiga.

Like last time, he sat upon his mat with his legs folded beneath him. He seemed to be expecting us – a messenger had no doubt informed him of our arrival.

"Sheena, good timing," he greeted once we'd entered. "We've located the rheairds."

"It's just like Kratos said," Genis said in surprise. "Why is he doing things like that to help us if he's our enemy?"

Lloyd and I exchanged a knowing look.

"But now…we can save Colette," Presea pointed out. She clearly didn't care whether Kratos was our enemy or not.

Tiga's face grew hard suddenly. His tone was dead serious when he spoke again.

"Sheena, before you recover the rheairds, I must give you a test."

"A test, Vice-Chief?" Sheena looked wary.

"Yes. Even if we recover the rheairds, if Volt's mana runs out, they will crash again." He took a long pause, his eyes moving across her face calculatingly. "Thus, before recovering the rheairds, you are going to form a pact with Volt."

Zelos tensed beside me. I looked up to see his face looked very grave as well. What was going on?

"V-Volt?" Sheena choked out. Her entire body had locked up. "Vice-Chief, I-I…"

"I know it's hard," he began sombrely, "but it's a test you must over –"

"I _can't!"_ she exclaimed. Her voice cracked and she ran from the room, choked sounds escaping her throat.

"Sheena!" Lloyd called out. He made to go after her but Tiga held his hand out to stop him.

"Sheena failed to form a pact with Volt once before," he explained calmly. His head turned to the man who lay concealed behind the curtain in the back corner. "That is the reason why the Chief is in a coma."

I gasped sharply. Hearing him say that, so many things began to make sense all at once. That explained why she was so reluctant to make the pact with Undine. It was why she'd reacted strangely to hearing Volt's name when we'd first arrived.

"I…I had no idea," I whispered, feeling really guilty.

"It's a pretty famous incident," said Zelos. For once, he was actually being serious. His eyes focused on the doorway Sheena had left through. "A quarter of Mizuho's population died."

Lloyd followed his gaze. "Sheena…"

"She puts on a strong face, but she's really alone in this village," Zelos went on. He finally broke his gaze away to nudge Lloyd with his elbow. "Go cheer her up, man. She seems to have a thing for you."

"M-Me?" He looked unsure of himself. "What if I say something wrong?"

"You understand the pain of involving others in an incident you caused," said Raine. While I'm sure she didn't mean to be harsh, he flinched all the same. "I can think of no one better."

"You're right. I'll go talk to her." He nodded, determined, and left to go after her.

"No wonder she didn't want to form the packs," said Genis. He hung his head and sighed. "Boy, do I feel bad."

"Sheena is still too young," said Regal in a wise tone. "Too frail to accept the cruel fate forced upon her."

"I believe…the deeper the wound, the more important it is to overcome it," Presea stated wisely.

I frowned. "I hope she'll be able to do that."

We waited inside for several long minutes. Eventually, however, Lloyd and Sheena returned, and although her eyes were brimmed with red and her cheeks still glistened, she looked a lot surer of herself.

"What is it you have decided?" Tiga questioned.

Sheena took a deep, shuddering breath before answering, "I will form the pact with Volt. This time, I will not fail."

He didn't smile, although I could see by his eyes he was pleased. "Very good. Now then, the Temple of Lightning lies on an island to the north. You may leave tomorrow morning, and I shall send Orochi with news of the rheairds."

"Understood." Sheena turned away from him and gave the group a crooked smile – but it was a smile all the same. "Everyone, please have faith in me. I swear I won't let you down."

"Of course we believe in you," I said happily. "I'm just glad you're okay."

"We all are," Raine agreed warmly. However, she was soon back to business. "We should unpack and prepare for tomorrow's journey. We'll all need our rest."

Everyone agreed, and as we began filing out of the Chief's house, a voice stopped me in my tracks.

"You there."

I glanced over my shoulder. Tiga was gazing at me with a curious look in his eye.

"M-Me?"

He nodded and pulled himself to his feet. "Tell me, girl, what is your name?"

"Um…" I looked around at the others. They all looked as confused as me. "It's Aurelia."

He didn't speak, but his expression told me I was expected to continue.

"Aurelia Nobelle," I finished, feeling extremely awkward.

A smile slowly spread across his face. "It is just as I thought. The resemblance is too large to be merely coincidence."

"I'm sorry?" Resemblance? What was he talking about? My heartbeat began to quicken.

"Vice-Chief, is something wrong?" Sheena asked. She hesitantly backtracked into the room.

"Surely you've heard tales, Sheena, of the great warrior, Yuuki."

Sheena's eyes immediately lit up in recognition. "The outsider who defended Mizuho from the famous dragon attack, right? Who in Mizuho hasn't?"

"I have also heard of this woman," said Regal, looking thoughtful. "She was also a very intelligent scientist who did research for the Imperial Research Academy."

"This is all very impressive, but what does it have to do with Aurelia?" Raine asked, thankfully, because I was unable to properly form words to display my confusion.

Tiga turned back to me, carefully examining my face. "The resemblance is, as I said, uncanny. There's no mistaking you as the daughter of Yuuki."

…

…

…

_What?_

* * *

**:O**


	34. The Last Thing On Your Mind

**Wow, this has to possibly the quickest update I've ever done! I actually wrote about half of this chapter the day after my last update, and I would have had it finished earlier this week, but I was _so _busy with grad stuff! Graduation and prom is next week, and I'm getting so anxious :S But my last day of high school was really fun! My awesome friends made it truly memorable.**

**I recently discovered the news of the PS3 bundle of Tales of Symphonia and Dawn of the New World coming out next year and I'm so excited! I'm eager to see how it turns out and I'm so happy this game is getting the attention it deserves!**

**Thanks so much to Solyeuse and Dana1290 for your reviews! I really appreciate the support :)  
As well as everyone else I got to personally thank. Thanks again!**

***Looks at title* I haven't used a song title for a chapter in a while! The song is The Last Thing On Your Mind, by Lights.**

**Other than that, I had a lot of fun writing this chapter and I hope you all enjoy!**

* * *

My head was reeling. I blinked rapidly in an attempt to focus my mind on what Tiga had just told me, but my train of thought continued to spiral in every possible direction. I didn't bother trying to speak – I knew that any noise that left my mouth would just be unintelligible blabber. Gibberish.

Thankfully, the rest of the group made enough of an outburst to make up for me.

"Wait, _what?!" _Lloyd exclaimed. His head whipped back and forth from me to Tiga.

Sheena looked even more alarmed. "Vice-Chief! That can't be possible!"

Tiga barely batted an eyelash. "The resemblance is proof enough," he said calmly, "but the surname Nobelle cannot be merely coincidence."

"'Yuuki Nobelle'?" Zelos looked confused as he sounded out the name. "That's an odd name for someone from Mizuho to have."

"She was originally an outsider," Tiga explained. "Normally, we never allow outsiders to enter the village, but her case was special. She had been separated from her companions in the Gaoracchia Forest. As you may have learned, the forest is a cruel and unforgiving place, especially to one travelling alone. One of our men found her unconscious in the clutches of some devil's snare. We brought her back to the village and allowed her to stay until she recuperated. We realized quickly she was a half-elf, but our village has never been partial to discrimination. All that mattered to us was her kindness and willingness to do her part, even injured as she was. However, it was during her recovery that the dragons attacked."

Raine's eyes were wide. "What could have possibly brought on such an attack from not one, but multiple dragons?"

Tiga smiled. "It would seem her companions had disturbed their nests. Which, according to Yuuki, was highly uncharacteristic of them. Regardless, the village was faced with three, angry dragons. Despite still being injured, Yuuki fought at Chief Igaguri's side admirably and managed to singlehandedly take down the largest dragon."

I stared at him in stun. My "mother" had done that?

"She earned the chief's respect," he went on. "As well as his trust. To reward her for her valiant efforts, he allowed her to become an honorary member of the Mizuho people, and bestowed her with the name 'Yuuki', a Mizuho word meaning courage."

"And that's what she decided to go by," Sheena spoke up. "Once she rejoined with her companions, maybe _they_ still called her by her original name, but from then on she introduced herself as Yuuki." She looked at Tiga for approval. "Right?"

"Correct."

"It is the name she has used to pen her research with," said Regal. "Her findings and experiments regarding mana signatures are held in high esteem among the academic community. It is said that she had found a way to manipulate and change a person's mana signature."

"Impressive that a convict such as yourself would have such knowledge of her," Tiga noted with raised eyebrows.

Zelos looked interested too, eyeing him carefully.

If Regal was aware of the sudden scrutiny, he didn't show it. "I had the pleasure of meeting her once, although I was not aware she was a half-elf. She must have had some method of hiding it. While she was a remarkable woman, one thing is also true." And this is when he met my eyes. I was forced to hold contact. "What the Vice-Chief says is true. There is a notable resemblance. Too much so to simply ignore."

Hearing Regal say it caused something to stir in my gut. For the most part, I'd remained detached from the conversation due to pure shock. But Regal…he was so wise. I couldn't help but believe the things he told me, and that's why his words were causing this whole thing to start to sink in. I prayed no one noticed my breathing starting to pick up speed.

"What about her real name?" Genis wondered.

"That is something only Chief Igaguri knows," Tiga replied. "As you know, it is currently impossible to ask him."

Sheena looked vaguely uncomfortable.

"Well do you know what happened to her?" asked Raine. Her voice was hesitant, and I knew why – Botta had told me my mother was dead. If he was right, then we were about to hear the story of how she died.

Tiga frowned. "I'm afraid not. Things seemed to be going well for her – she'd fallen in love, and had a child. A daughter named Aurelia."

Again, the twisting in my gut. Was I still going to allow myself to believe this was some kind of coincidence when the facts were being laid out so clearly before me?

"That was when things began to change for her."

I shivered. His words had taken an ominous turn, and a sombre silence settled over the room. Somehow, everyone knew something bad was coming.

"Being as brilliant as she was, it was only expected that Yuuki was approached by countless scientists wishing to collaborate with her. Her theories on altering mana signatures were highly likely to succeed, however she lacked the necessary technology to follow through with them. That is, until, a certain man approached her with a very tempting offer."

My heartbeat quickened further. I knew where this was going already.

"It was a Desian, wasn't it?" asked Raine, calmly voicing my dread-filled thoughts.

"Not just any. It was one of the Five Grand Cardinals. Kvar."

"_Kvar?!"_ Lloyd exploded angrily. The very mention of Kvar was enough to almost send him into a frenzied rage.

"Calm yourself, Lloyd," Raine admonished, although she, too, looked shocked.

I tried to voice my own dismay, but my voice died in my throat and came out as merely a choked sound. I couldn't even begin to process my own thoughts at the moment. I kept my eyes locked onto Tiga, silently willing him to continue.

"Desian bases, as you are no doubt aware, contain technology far more advanced than anything you could hope to find here in Tethe'alla," said Tiga. I was thankful he was able to keep his even, explanatory tone, because it was keeping me calm. "Kvar had heard of her theories and was quite interested in helping her to make them a reality."

"Didn't she know he was a Desian?" asked Genis incredulously.

"Of course. However, Yuuki was sure her work could one day benefit both Tethe'alla _and _Sylvarant, and was determined to see her dreams come to fruition. While she knew the kind of evil she was allying herself with, she felt certain that she would not allow herself to be used, and vowed to use this opportunity to gain inside information on the Desians and Cruxis."

"For the Renegades," Zelos deduced. "If Botta is Aurelia's father, then it would make sense that she was a part of the Renegades as well, or at least allied with them. She must have hidden it from this Kvar guy, am I right?"

Tiga nodded deeply. "This was her intent, yes. However, this period of time during which the research on this project took place is when we suddenly lost contact with her. She cut her ties with both Mizuho _and _the Academy, and I personally have not heard from her since. As for the Chief, I'm not sure. He advised against allowing Kvar to help her, and was quite distraught when she did not heed his words. I cannot say for certain what became of her, but I can only assume that her plan to funnel information to the Renegades ended in failure." He ended this on a note of sadness. His face remained relatively expressionless, but I could see it in his eyes.

"Um, Vice-Chief Tiga," I spoke up nervously. My voice sounded small and foreign. Despite the fact that none of this was sinking in or felt real, I still needed to get some things set straight.

"Yes? I am sure you have many questions."

"I…I spoke with my father," I began. Even now, the words felt strange in my mouth. "He didn't say much about my mother, but what he did say…well, it doesn't seem to match your description. He called her a coward."

Tiga looked puzzled. "I cannot say what would spur such negative feelings. As I recall, your parents were quite in love."

_In love. _That thought was weird, but at the same time comforting. We had once been a family, if only for a little while. It hadn't always been hopeless.

But now…

"He told me something else," I went on quietly. "He told me that she was dead."

This was enough to cause the sorrow to become visible on Tiga's face, if only a little. "So she is. It pains my heart to hear that. She was a great woman." He regained his composure, which merely consisted of forming a straight face again. "I hope Kvar gets what he deserves for whatever he's done to her."

"He has," Lloyd assured him, his voice cold. Hearing everything that Tiga had just told us, it was clear that his hatred for Kvar had multiplied, whether he was dead or not. "Before we left Sylvarant, we killed him and destroyed the ranch. He did a lot of horrible things, but it's all over now. He can't ruin anymore lives."

"That was likely for the best," Tiga agreed, not exactly smiling but still sounding relieved.

Dimly, I noticed Raine looking at me with concern. I tried to imagine the look on my face right now. My eyes were wide and unblinking, my jaw clenched as tightly as I could manage without being forced to grind my teeth together. My skin was probably as white as a sheet.

"This is a lot of information to take in," Raine said at last, turning her gaze on Tiga. "If you would excuse us, we would like to unpack our things and have some time to think this over. I'm sure Aurelia agrees."

I couldn't do anything but nod.

"Of course," said Tiga. "Sheena, seek out Orochi. We have prepared more proper sleeping arrangements for your group this time around. He will guide you."

She nodded. "Right, I will. Thank you, Vice-Chief." She bowed, and the rest of us followed her out of the house.

Orochi was just outside, and when Sheena asked him about sleeping arrangements, he nodded and led us back into the house. He led us down the hall and stopped, reaching his hands out to gesture to four rooms.

"We've had these rooms cleared and prepared for your use," he explained. "We'll keep them this way for as long as you need them, so you will always have a place to stay when you come to Mizuho."

Sheena smiled at him. "Thanks, Orochi."

He nodded in response and left the way we'd came. This left us to figure out the rooming arrangements. Excluding Sheena, seeing as she had her own room, and counting Colette, since we'd eventually be rescuing her, there was just enough to fit two to a room.

I only half-paid attention to the process of selecting who would sleep where. In the end, it worked out pretty perfectly. Regal naturally opted to sleep alone so that no one else would have to, being the gentleman that he was. Since Raine obviously wasn't going to stay with Zelos, and knew that Genis and Zelos would be sure to kill each other should she stay with Lloyd, she chose to stay with her brother. This meant Zelos and Lloyd were rooming together, leaving me with Presea.

I absently entered the room and set my bag down, removing my gloves and belt as well. It looked much like the first storage room we'd stayed in our first visit here, however the boxes had been moved elsewhere and all that remained were two bedrolls, much more comfortable-looking than the portable ones we used for camping.

Presea didn't have many things to unpack, though she did lean her axe up against the wall. According to Sheena, we didn't have to worry about dinner, as it would be provided to us. So, that left us with roughly an hour to kill.

I didn't waste any time in going outside. I managed to slip out while the others were preoccupied with unpacking and such. Maybe they were looking to discuss what had just happened, but at the moment I really didn't think I would be able to. More than anything, I just wanted time to myself to try and sort out my thoughts.

I wandered through the village, doing my best to keep track of buildings I passed so that I wouldn't get lost on my way back – not that it was that huge of a village. I didn't have my weapons or supplies with me, but I felt pretty secure in Mizuho. I was confident I wouldn't be attacked.

I ended up leaning against the railing of a stone bridge that led over a small section of stream. This seemed as perfect a place as any to brood. There weren't many people around, either, so it was quiet enough that I could properly sort out my thoughts.

So this Yuuki woman was my mother. I didn't want to believe it, which was strange in itself. When Olivia had outed Botta as my father, I'd been shaken, sure, but I'd accepted it pretty quickly. At least, as quickly as I could. I'd already met Botta when I found out about him. I knew him as this tough, solemn Renegade who was cryptic and trying to kill Colette and capture Lloyd. I had a set image of him in my mind, and yet I'd somehow been able to allow it to bend enough to become recognized as my father. There'd been no evidence to the fact other than Olivia and him saying so, and yet I'd been able to accept it.

But Yuuki. I'd never met her before. I didn't even know what she looked like, but apparently I was the spitting image of her. We shared the same last name, and she had a daughter named Aurelia. Tiga had even confirmed Botta as my father. There was no way she _couldn't _be my mother, and yet the facts weren't sinking in. She still didn't feel real, this amazing, half-elf scientist who'd taken down a dragon by herself.

If these facts weren't enough to prove it to me, there was also what Tiga had said about Kvar. My mother had worked with him on…something. Some kind of experiment. Thinking back to the ranch, parts of the experience that had been a mystery to me were now becoming clear. Kvar's strange words to me – it had to have been because of my mother.

But there was also Kratos. I'd thought the way he'd urged me to go with them to fight Kvar was strange, but I'd shrugged it off – Kratos had done so many strange, suspicious things that I'd lost track of half of them. Now, though, it made sense. He knew all about my mother and Kvar. Judging by his urgency for me to fight him, he knew what had happened to her as well. And it probably hadn't been good.

"Kvar…_dammit!" _I punched the railing, ignoring the awful pain that shot through my hand up into my wrist. In fact, I did it again and again until my knuckles were raw and bleeding. I choked back angry tears, focusing on the trickling water below me.

He'd killed my mother. He'd discovered her hidden motives for working with him and had killed her. At least…that's what I wanted to believe. Knowing Kvar and his sick, twisted, sadistic mind, he'd probably done something far worse. It was his fault Luin was attacked and Lianne died. It was _his _fault that Lloyd's mother was turned into a monster and killed by his father's own hands. And judging by the pure fury he'd been able to draw from Kratos, something I'd _never _seen other than that one time, he'd probably done something pretty awful to him to. Everything was _his _fault! I could barely contain the rage welling up inside me. I was just so…_so..._

I forced myself to take a deep breath. What was I thinking? Kvar was dead. He was already dead, and all of the deaths he'd caused had been avenged. The ranch was destroyed – he couldn't hurt anyone anymore. It was over. So why couldn't I calm myself down? Why did I still have the desperate desire for him to be alive again just so I could watch him die all over again? So I could kill him with my own blade?

It was the same, simple reason I'd felt anger walking through the wreckage of Luin. Killing Kvar hadn't reversed any of the horrible things he'd done. Lloyd's mother was still dead. Countless lives had been lost in Luin. And my mother…well, who knew? Maybe she was caged up as a monster somewhere. Maybe she was an Exsphere by now. I had no way of knowing.

"So this is where you ran off to."

I didn't need to turn around to know it was Zelos. In fact, I secretly hoped that maybe if I stayed turned away from him, he'd go away. I didn't really want company right now, especially not from him.

When I didn't respond, I heard his footsteps on the bridge as he came to stand beside me. "Hey, you okay? You left without saying anything. Everyone's worried! We all split up to find you!"

Alright, now I felt guilty.

"I'm…sorry," I managed, not meeting his eyes. "I didn't mean to worry everyone. I just…I needed some time to think."

He sighed and leaned forward onto the railing. "I get it. That's a lot of info to soak up in the span of twenty minutes."

I nodded without saying anything.

"I'm having trouble processing it myself," he went on. "I can't even imagine how you must be–" He cut off suddenly, reaching out to grab my hand. "Aurelia!"

I cried out slightly at the sudden contact with my bruised and bloodied hand. Judging by the pain I felt, it was probably broken.

"What the hell did you do to your hand?!" he exclaimed, ignoring my sounds of protest and continuing to examine it.

"I…uh, punched the bridge," I said sheepishly. I attempted to pull my hand away but he held it firmly in place and began casting First Aid on it.

"Well that was pretty dumb of you," he muttered, still keeping his attention focused on the healing. He didn't do it perfectly, but it was enough to at least mend the bones and heal the skin. The bruising still remained, however. "Wrap that when you get back to the house."

"Um, yes."

"Anyway, why did you punch the bridge?" he asked me. His eyebrow was quirked; he looked curiously amused.

"I was thinking about Kvar," I said quietly. I didn't appreciate him making a joke out of the situation, but he thankfully grew serious when he heard what I said.

"Ah. Right." He let out a breath. "I can imagine why you'd be pissed, but hey, he's dead right? At least you were there to avenge her."

"But it doesn't change anything," I said. Saying the words out loud caused fresh anger to bubble up. I did my best to contain it, but it succeeded in lacing my words. "He still destroyed Luin. He still turned Lloyd's mother into a monster. And as for my mother…" I trailed off, shaking my head. "I can only imagine what the sadistic bastard did to her when he found out. I might have fought to avenge her, but it didn't have meaning because I didn't even know I was doing it. Besides – Kvar might be dead, but all of the horrible things he did still extend to Lord Yggdrasill. The whole reason I ended up with him was probably because of what happened with my mother." I'd only just realized this as I said it, and I felt even more resentment towards the both of them. It had all probably been part of some sick plan. And Botta…

Had he tried to protect me from it? Did he blame my mother for what had happened? There were too many things I was unsure of.

He didn't say anything for a couple minutes. He stared at me thoughtfully, allowing me to sort through these thoughts. It was actually rather considerate of him, because normally he had trouble shutting up for any amount of time.

"It just isn't fair," I found myself saying, although to my embarrassment it came out as more of a whimper. "Why do Cruxis and the Desians have to do such awful things? Why do so many people have to suffer?"

He didn't say anything. I assumed it was because he was allowing me to rant.

"Lloyd doesn't have a mom because of them," I went on, feeling my speech give way to rambling. "Or even his actual dad. Presea was turned into some kind of sick experiment because of them. And Colette…" I trailed off at the thought of her and wanted to cry. More than anything, I wanted Colette here with me right now. She'd know what to say to make this better. She'd give me her brightest smile until I couldn't help but smile too. "Colette has to endlessly suffer for them because of some stupid plan. She can't live a normal life because of them."

Zelos finally spoke, and his voice had an odd tone to it. "And what about you?"

I shook my head. "No, this isn't about me. There are bigger things to be worrying about, and I shouldn't be feeling sorry for myself. Colette's been kidnapped, and Sheena has to face her biggest fear, a-and–"

"Jeez, speaking of Colette," Zelos interrupted, looking impatient. "You sure sound like her right now. Your problems matter too, Aurelia. You've lost just as much to Cruxis too, like your mom and your childhood. You grew up thinking that everything in the world was peaches and rainbows and then suddenly had to deal with the fact that it wasn't. Without this Yggdrasill guy to hold your hand." I knew he wasn't being harsh to be mean. He was trying to make a point. "Does none of that count?"

His words stung me because they were true. I had to fend for myself for the first time in my entire life. I hadn't been prepared for it in the slightest, and the very people who'd always cared for me had just let it happen.

"I…I…"

"You're allowed to cry," he continued, looking at me expectantly. "It's not gonna make you look weak or stupid, if that's what you're worried about."

Just to stubbornly prove some point, I bit my lip to hold the tears back. "No. All I've done is cry. Colette's been through so much, and yet, she always wears a smile. She never cries – she keeps a strong face. I need to be more like her."

"Don't be stupid," Zelos said, sounding annoyed. I glanced over to find him shaking his head. "Colette keeps everything bottled up because she doesn't wanna worry anyone, right? And doesn't it annoy you?"

I didn't want to respond, although it _was _frustrating that she felt the need to hide things from us and carry her burdens on her own…oh.

"Exactly," he said, noting my expression. "Now, as much as I'd love to see your pretty smile, it's not gonna be healthy if you bottle everything up." He gave my bruised hand a pointed look.

I had to let out a laugh at that. Unfortunately, the motion sent a few stray tears spilling down my cheeks. My chest constricted and it took all I had not to break into true sobs.

"There it is," said Zelos, relief hinting in his voice. "Come 'ere."

Before I could even think of stopping him, he pulled me into a hug, leading my face into his chest to at least give me the decency of not letting him see me cry. His hand then rested on the back of my head, stroking my hair while the other arm wrapped around me.

At first I remained still. Stiff, even. Normally the thought of Zelos holding me like this would have me squirming to get away, especially considering the fact he'd be trying to kiss me or feel me up. But now…it was different. This was meant solely to be comforting – he was actually being a nice guy.

So, keeping this in mind, I took advantage of the opportunity and allowed myself to cry a little. I did my best to contain it, but I did end up letting out a few sobs against his chest. When this happened, his arm tightened around me to let me know he was still there. Instinctively, I looped my arms around his waist and held on tighter so that they weren't awkwardly at my sides.

The whole time, he remained silent – it was comforting. Just having someone hug me like this while I cried was…soothing, even if it was Zelos.

After several minutes, I pulled away from him and sniffed. "T-Thanks, Zelos."

He grinned down at me. "Don't you feel better now?"

"A little," I admitted, smiling down at my feet. "You can actually be a nice guy, when you want to be."

He gave a proud smile at that. "Of course I can! No girl can resist crying into the shoulder of Zelos Wilder. The hunnies love a sensitive guy!"

I rolled my eyes, but it wasn't with as much annoyance as I usually might have. I could tell from the look on his face that he was just trying to make me laugh. Now that I was done with my moping, it was time to cheer up just like I'd wanted. He was just trying to help.

"Let's head back," I said, feeling a lot lighter than before. "I really don't want the others to worry about me."

He nodded. "Sounds good! I'll just tell them that I worked my magic and made you forget all about that problem of yours, hm?"

"No, you _won't _tell them that," I said warningly.

He winked and began quickly walking away. "I don't see how you're going to stop me~!"

"Grr, _Zelos –!"_

He started laughing and broke off into a run once he realized I was intent on chasing him. Despite my desire to catch up to him and threaten him into silence, I couldn't help but laugh too. So maybe Colette hadn't been the one to cheer me up, but Zelos hadn't done a bad job either. I guess it had to be a Chosen thing.

* * *

We soon arrived back at the Chief's house, where everyone was gathered outside the door. Lloyd practically rush tackled me when he saw me, looking relieved.

"We didn't know where you went! Are you okay?"

"I'm fine!" I insisted, suppressing a laugh as I attempted to regain my balance. I gave Lloyd a quick hug back before turning to the rest of the group. "I…I'm sorry I ran off like that. It was just a bit too much to deal with at the time."

Raine nodded solemnly. "I understand. While I'm sure the village is secure, we were worried about your emotional state."

"If you want time alone, you can have it," Sheena spoke up. She fiddled nervously with a loose thread on her kimono. "But, uh, dinner is almost ready, and we just wanted to make sure you're okay."

"I'm fine now," I said, my lips forming into a big, stupid grin at their concern. "Zelos managed to cheer me up."

To my relief, he didn't make any sexual comments. He simply nodded and said, "I sure did! I'm the best comforter there is, you guys can all go home."

"I'm surprised you didn't try to put the moves on her," Genis muttered, probably not thinking anyone would hear.

"Yeah, well I'm surprised you're still a brat," Zelos retorted, narrowing his eyes at the boy. "Oh wait, no I'm not!"

"You're both behaving like brats," Raine sighed irritably. "Have some respect for the current situation."

All the while, Regal watched the scene with an amused look on his face, and even Presea seemed somewhat happy.

I smiled to myself. It was pretty difficult to stay sad in a group like this one.

"Is dinner ready yet?" Lloyd asked loudly in an attempt to drown out Zelos and Genis' bickering.

"It shouldn't be too long," Sheena replied, glancing over her shoulder. "By the time we head inside and get seated it should be close."

We all followed her into the house. She led us down the hall and into a large dining room. In the middle sat a table that was low to the ground, with mats for sitting on much like Tiga's. A large screen door made up one wall, but it was currently open to reveal a short wooden deck that circled around a beautiful water garden.

We each took spots at the table and, sure enough, the meal was ready within minutes. Much to my delight, we were served similar food to last time – a noodle dish with plenty of vegetables and chunks of beef. I wasted no time in digging in, using the chopsticks to pick out pieces of green peppers.

None of us really felt like talking about the journey ahead of us to the Temple of Lightning. Although Sheena had resolved to make the pact with Volt, I knew it was still a touchy subject and was something she was trying to get her mind off of for the time being. So, naturally, the conversation turned to the most recent interesting event to happen.

"So Yuuki was given her name, meaning 'courage', right?" Lloyd asked Sheena. Thankfully, this was about as deep into the subject as the conversation was going to go – I'd been cheered up, but it still wasn't really something I wanted to talk about right now, either.

Sheena nodded in response. "Yes. Each of our 'names' usually means something in the old language. For example, Orochi and Kuchinawa are brothers, and both of their names are old Mizuho words for 'snake'. But, those aren't their real names."

Presea looked puzzled. "Are they aliases?"

"N-Not exactly…" She looked embarrassed for some reason; nervous to continue. "In Mizuho, we have a tradition of giving people an additional name, while hiding our real names."

"Really?" Lloyd looked even more curious. "What are their real names?"

She shrugged. "Beats me. Only they, their parents, and the Chief know. And whomever they marry," she added as an afterthought.

"Is yours a second name as well?" Presea wondered.

"Yeah, that's right."

"That seems funny," I said. "I can't imagine you as anyone other but Sheena."

"Well _I _happen to know Sheena's real name," Zelos spoke up, looking proud.

Sheena rolled her eyes at him. "What? How could _you _know?" She sounded dismissive, but there was an underlying nervousness in her voice.

"Sheena's real name is…" He trailed off, glancing around for a dramatic pause. "Violent Demonic Banshee!"

"_Zelos!" _ She reached across Lloyd to start flailing her fists at him.

"Ow! See? See?" he pressed, laughing between the grunts of pain. "She's a violent banshee!"

Lloyd leaned backwards to avoid the clash happening over him, spilling food down his shirt in the process.

Dinner passed by much like this for the remainder of the night, and then we were allowed hot baths! If there had been any remnants of my bad mood left, soaking in the warm water was enough to melt them away. I had to take another moment to appreciate how much more hospitable Mizuho was this time around.

After I was finished, I got dressed and headed back to the room I was sharing with Presea. Thankfully, I didn't have to make much conversation with her because she was already asleep by the time I got back. It wasn't that I didn't like Presea – it was just, now that she had her emotions back, I wasn't really sure what to talk about with her. She was still rather soft-spoken.

As soon as I settled into my bedroll, my eyes felt impossible to keep open, and I allowed sleep to claim me immediately. If we were heading to the Temple of Lightning the next day, it was bound to be a rough one.

* * *

The next morning was a quiet one. There was a sort of awkward silence hanging over the group as we prepared to leave for the Temple of Lightning. Everyone knew how hard this trip was going to be, especially for Sheena.

Speaking of which, she wasn't looking so good this morning. She'd barely managed to brush her messy hair into her usual bun, and the dark circles under her eyes were impossible to miss. She obviously hadn't slept a wink last night, but she attempted to cover it up with forced smiles and meaningless chatter.

"Have more breakfast, Lloyd!" she urged, her tone oozing with cheerfulness I was positive she didn't actually feel.

While I was sure Lloyd didn't mind extra food, he still looked uneasy as she piled more egg and rice into his bowl.

"Uh, thanks, Sheena," he said, and while he tried his best to match her tone he still sounded nervous.

We were all seated outside, our bags scattered around us. The plan was to head to the coast as soon as breakfast was finished, so maybe that was why Sheena was so eager to fill Lloyd up with food. His stomach was pretty much a bottomless pit, so such a plan could easily postpone our departure by at least an hour.

"Good morning everyone," Orochi greeted as he approached the group. "I trust you are prepared for the journey ahead?"

Sheena didn't respond, so Raine nodded and said, "Yes. We'll be leaving as soon as everyone is finished eating."

Orochi nodded, but I knew that wasn't the answer he was looking for. His eyes remained on Sheena, and while I couldn't see the rest of his face I knew he was worried.

"Sheena?"

She glanced up from the ground and smiled at him. "Yes?"

"I'll see you after you make the pact, okay?"

These words were enough to cause a crack in her happy façade. "T-The pact…"

"Yes, the pact."

"O-Orochi…" Her voice began to waver and she couldn't look at him. "W-What if…I mean, I might not–"

"I'll see you after you make the pact," he said again firmly. "I'll be waiting outside the temple with news on the rheairds, so try not to take too long."

She didn't say anything. Despite his words, she still looked so worried she wouldn't see him again. However, I knew her other fear – the fear that it wouldn't matter if he was waiting outside or not, because she was scared she'd be the only one to make it out of the temple.

"We'll see you then," I spoke up, doing my best to match his resolute tone.

She glanced at me in surprise before dropping her gaze to the ground and nodding. "Yeah."

Orochi left after that, stopping to grasp her shoulder. He then continued on, leaving Sheena staring at the ground.

Several minutes later we finished eating and everyone gathered their things. We'd already filled up on supplies, so there was nothing else to do but start on our way.

We had to walk several hours before reaching the ocean. The whole time we walked, Sheena remained silent, and it was starting to worry me. While I had complete faith that she'd make the pact with Volt, I didn't like the thought of her feeling so scared. Even when Zelos opened the wing pack and we all boarded the EC, she half-heartedly summoned Undine to carry us across the water and then took a corner of the deck to herself.

"I hope Sheena is okay," Genis said sadly after we'd been sailing for several minutes.

"We have to believe in her," said Lloyd. His eyes rested on the gloomy assassin, and while he sounded determined he still looked worried about her. "If we don't, who will?"

"Ah, what beautiful mutual trust," said Zelos wistfully, heaving a dramatic sigh.

I sent a glare at him. "Zelos, stop making a joke out of it!"

"I'm not!" he insisted, although he made little effort to change that casual tone of his. "Just think for a moment, if I were the one who was about to make that pact now, even _Lloyd _wouldn't be able to freely put all his trust in me, right?"

"No kidding," Genis muttered.

"The brat can shut up, thank you," Zelos snapped. He gave Genis an annoyed look before returning to his point. "So anyway, I was just thinking how you have a beautiful mutual trust born of the time you've spent together."

I contemplated this. Zelos actually had a point. Sheena had been our enemy at one point, and even after she'd joined the group we still didn't know what her intentions were or what she'd end up deciding to do. Still, we'd spent enough time with her that we'd grown to trust her regardless. And now, we were putting all of our faith in her to help us with this journey. It was funny how that worked.

"Sheena's our partner," said Lloyd, and I could tell his train of thought matched mine. "Of course we trust her." He thought it over for a moment and then looked at Zelos, smiling. "And so are you, after all. I trust you, too."

Zelos raised an eyebrow at him, wearing an expression I couldn't quite place. He then smirked and shook his head as though Lloyd had just told him a stupid joke.

"Glad to hear it, bud."

Lloyd and I exchanged a confused look. Zelos' reaction was weird, but I decided to ignore it for the time being. I was more worried about Sheena, and Zelos' words had gotten me thinking. Sheena _was _our partner. Sure we had to trust her, but that wasn't going to be enough to get her through this or calm her fears. We had to let her know that we believed in her, otherwise she would continue to work herself into this depression, and that would affect her judgment once the battle actually came.

"I'm going to talk to her," I said finally.

Lloyd nodded, glancing back over at her. "That's probably a good idea. My pep talk yesterday was probably only a temporary fix. We need to be there for her."

I got up and walked over to where she sat, sitting myself a reasonable distance away from her.

"Hey."

She'd been so wrapped up in her own thoughts that she hadn't noticed me approach. So naturally, she jumped in surprise. "A-Aurelia! Hey. You scared me."

I laughed nervously. "Sorry. I just thought I'd come see how you were doing…"

"Oh…" The anxious smile she wore dropped from her face and she looked towards the sea. "I think it's pretty obvious that I'm scared."

"I don't blame you," I said, following her gaze. "Facing your fear is always hard, but you're strong, Sheena. I know you can do it."

"That _should _comfort me, but…" She shook her head, allowing her bangs to fall in her eyes and hide her expression. "It's not just making the pact. It's _everything_. What if I do make the pact, but one of you dies in the process? I…I could never live with myself if that happened."

I bit my lip, remaining silent for a moment. What could I say to her? I wasn't as good at this as the others. I didn't have Lloyd's fierce determination. I couldn't drown her in optimism like Colette, or force her to laugh like Zelos. All I had was honesty, so I was going to have to use just that.

"If that does happen, it won't be your fault," I began, realizing I probably didn't sound all that reassuring. Still, I did my best to speak from my heart and pushed on. "But if any one of us doubted that you had it in you to make this pact, then we wouldn't be here. We all believe that you're going to lead us through this fight, and _I _know we'll all make it out alive. If we don't, then we'll have died doing what we believed was right, and that's nothing for you to blame yourself for."

She was finally looking at me know, her brown eyes watery and wide and just plain _scared. _"Aurelia…I…"

"I'm missing my point," I said, letting out a laugh and slapping my forehead. "I'm sorry I'm so bad at this. My point is, you're not the only one in this fight, Sheena. Volt may be testing _your _strength, but we're all going to be fighting with you. It's not going to happen like last time because this time you're not alone. We'll all be right beside you."

I'd finally succeeded in making her smile. She took my hand and gave it a tight squeeze. "Thanks. It really means a lot to hear you say that."

"I'm glad to hear it," I said, squeezing her hand in return. "And just remember – it's alright to be scared, and it's also alright to come to us if you are."

"Right. I'll…I'll try to remember that."

I smiled and dropped her hand. I knew she was still scared. I don't think there was _anything _I could have said to make that gnawing ache in her gut go away completely. However, the fact that she knew we were there for her was all that mattered. As long as she knew she wasn't alone, then the feeling was at least eased a little bit.

* * *

We sailed for roughly an hour before reaching the island on which the temple was located. The temple itself was a tall, stone tower that had moss twisting up and around its length. The sky surrounding the island was covered in dark clouds, sparks of lightning leaping from their depths. Sheena immediately paled upon reaching the place, staring up at the crackling sky with foreboding.

Zelos stored the EC in the wing pack and we headed towards the temple. I knew it was technically a seal in Tethe'alla, but there was no oracle stone and we were able to walk right in.

The inside of the temple was _dark_. I wouldn't say it was as pitch black as the Balacruf Mausoleum had been back in Sylvarant, as there were sources of light, but they didn't do much. Electric lights lined the pathway, but they did little to illuminate the path, as a dense thundercloud seemed to almost surround us. Even the purple path that we walked on was suspended over an abyss of storm clouds, which was rather unnerving. The room _was_ occasionally lit up brightly for brief moments as bolts of lightning hit what looked to be metal rods in the distance.

"We got in really easy," Lloyd noted, following my example and staring around. "I didn't see an oracle stone around or anything."

"This is the flourishing world," said Raine. "It probably isn't functioning as a seal right now."

"Then what about the trials?" I asked, trying to make out what lay on the path ahead of us. "It would be too easy to be able to just waltz through this place, right?"

Sheena nodded. Even in the darkness, I could see how nervous she looked. "The first time I came here, there were still puzzles we had to solve in order to make it through the temple. I can imagine it's the same now."

Lloyd stared ahead and nodded with determination. "Right. Let's get started then!" He started further into the temple, and I tensed. Every time he did this, something bad happened. The only difference now was we didn't have Kratos to pull him back and scold him.

"Lloyd–" I began, fully intent on starting a lecture. However I cut off as a bolt of lightning came crashing down at him. He barely had time to dive out of the way, leaving a dark burn mark on the path where he'd been standing.

Sheena flinched. "I forgot about that…"

Raine, whose hand had automatically slapped over her heart in alarm, cleared her throat. "We must proceed with caution."

That was easy enough for her to say, but how were we supposed to avoid lightning? If this place was a tower, then it was going to get more dangerous the further and higher up we proceeded.

No wonder Sheena hated this place so much. It wasn't just awful memories of Volt – the temple itself was a death trap. But as nervous as I was, I knew it didn't compare to what Sheena was feeling, and I was going to have to swallow these feelings and be strong for her sake.

We started into the temple, and as we did, I kept an eye out for anything out of place. Maybe the whole trick to this temple was finding some way to stop the lightning from striking. If the Chosen had to rely on chance to not be struck by lightning and make it to the seal, then Tethe'alla would never stay in this flourishing state. There had to be something.

It turned out I was right. While it was hard to see much in the darkness of the stormy temple, Presea was able to notice a pedestal at the end of a separate pathway. When we headed over to examine it, we found that there was some sort of switch on it.

"What do you suppose that does?" Genis wondered aloud.

"There's only one way to find out, right?" said Lloyd. He was just about to bring his hand down to press it when Raine caught it, scowling at him.

"What did I say about caution? We have no idea what this switch does. It could very well be a trap."

As much as I wanted to believe this was an easy solution, she had a point. During the brief moments when lightning lit up the room we were in, one thing had become clear. There were several pathways other than the straight one we'd been on, and I could make out similar switches on a few of them. The main pathway ended in a staircase leading to the next room, but therein laid the problem with proceeding. It was the highest point in the room, meaning the lighting was striking the top of the staircase at regular intervals. The way it was now, we'd never be able to proceed.

"We have to figure it out somehow," I reasoned. "As dangerous as it is, we might need to try it."

"I'll try it," Lloyd offered, eyeing the switch nervously. He stepped up to the pedestal and brought his hand down on the switch, bracing himself for something bad to happen.

I heard movement from the top of the staircase. Looking up, I saw a metal rod extend from a platform beside the landing, and all of the lightning in the room was suddenly drawn to it. The rod lit up like a shining beacon, illuminating the room and thus stopping the lightning from striking the path around us.

Lloyd breathed out a sigh of relief. "So that's what it does."

"But what about the other ones?" said Genis, his eyes moving to look at the rest of the pedestals that could now be seen around the room.

"Traps, I'm guessing," Sheena concluded. "We'll have to be extra careful." She swallowed hard, looking even more nervous than before.

Not that I blamed her. I'd hate to be the one caught in a trap in a place like this.

We continued through the temple, and activating these lightning rods seemed to be the main trial. Once or twice we were met with trap switches, and whoever was unlucky enough to activate them either had to dive out of the way of a bolt of lightning or quickly jump away from the crumbling platform. There were a few enemies to deal with as well – birds that shot forth breaths of lightning and enchanted, crackling swords that were apparently similar to the ones Lloyd and the others had dealt with in the Tower of Mana. Still, it wasn't anything we weren't able to easily handle.

The further into the temple we got, the more visible Sheena's nerves became. Corrine remained sitting on her shoulder, whispering words of encouragement to her, but it didn't seem to help.

Finally, we reached the main room of the temple, the room that would serve as the seal room if this were the journey of regeneration. The altar was on a high platform that we had to climb up a set of stairs to reach, and was far more impressive than anything we'd seen in Sylvarant. I was also thankful that although there were no metal rods in this room, lightning didn't strike around us, making me feel instantly at ease. That was one less thing to worry about.

As we approached the altar, it reacted much like it would if we were activating the seal. A glowing rod shot up from the center and was struck with a large bolt of lightning, the resulting flash momentarily blinding all of us.

When my vision finally cleared and I could see again, Volt floated before us, and I instantly understood Sheena's fear. The summon spirit consisted of a huge, crackling sphere of electricity, the kind of sight I associated white noise and static with. A pair of menacing red eyes rested in the middle of the thing, glaring down at us. The whole air had grown tense – electrically charged. My heart pounded with the thought of having to fight this thing.

Over the sound of sizzling lightning and my own heartbeat in my ears, I could make out a strange voice. The sound of it was disturbing on its own – a harsh buzzing mixed with multiple tones ranging from jarringly high to almost demonically deep. While it seemed to be forming actual words, I had no idea what it could possibly be saying.

If I thought the whole scene had _me _disturbed, I clearly hadn't looked at Sheena. The girl's entire body had locked in place upon seeing Volt, and now she was shaking with violent tremors. I'd never seen her skin more pale than in that moment, and she looked on the verge of tears. That expression…that was what true terror looked like, and my heart ached at the thought of how she must have been feeling at that moment.

"It's just like before!" she said, her voice trembling horribly. Any calmness she'd been trying to feign was out the window and now she was starting to panic. "What the hell is he saying?!"

"Sheena, calm down," said Raine, stepping forward to stand just behind her. "It is the ancient language. I'll translate for you." She allowed Volt to repeat his words before she repeated them back to us in our own language. "'I am one who is bound to Mithos. Who are you?'"

"Mithos again?" said Lloyd, looking confused. "How could he make pacts with summon spirits in both Sylvarant _and _Tethe'alla?"

"Maybe Mithos went back and forth between worlds with a rheaird as well?" said Genis.

I nodded. It seemed to be the only reasonable explanation. While Raine had said she doubted this person was the famed Mithos of the Ancient War, I found it hard to believe that there could be more than one Mithos with such remarkable power.

This knowledge didn't faze Sheena as much as it had when the words had come from Undine. If anything, it reassured her that forming the pact with Volt was something that was possible. If Mithos could do it, then so could she.

"I am Sheena!" she announced, forcing her voice to remain steady. "I ask that thou annulst thy pact with Mithos and establish a new pact with me."

Volt's distorted voice sounded through the air again, and Raine translated.

"He says that his pact with Mithos is broken. But he no longer desires a pact."

"W-Why?!" She turned to look at Raine in alarm. Any assurance she'd gained from the knowledge of Volt having a pact was gone, and I could see her breathing pick up.

"'I will have no more dealings with people'," said Raine, frowning as she took in Volt's words. "'Therefore, I desire no pact.'"

Sheena looked unsure of what to do at first. She looked like her panic was about to consume her for a moment, but she quickly regained her composure and turned to Volt, her face drawn in determination.

"No!" she said fiercely, drawing her cards. "We need your help!"

I immediately knew that was the wrong thing to say. Volt grew agitated, sparks flying off of the sphere's surface.

"Sheena, be careful!" Lloyd called out, but his warning came too late. Volt let out a pulse before lightning began to rain down upon us, the combination of the two knocking everyone back off of the platform and down to the lower level.

I let out a cry of pain as the shockwave coursed through me, leaving me helpless to try and break my fall as I crashed into the ground below. I was still conscious, but the electricity left me paralyzed, and I couldn't do anything but lay twitching on the ground. The impact had left me breathless, and every muscle in my body screamed in agony.

I tried my best to turn my head to assess the situation. Everyone but Sheena had suffered similar fates to me, although I was unable to tell from my current position if everyone had actually survived.

Sheena crouched on the stairs, staring back at all of us in a state of pure shock. To her, this was probably the exact same scene she'd witnessed so many years before – all of her comrades laying dead on the ground while she remained helpless to do anything.

"Everyone, watch out!" she cried, although it didn't do much good. Her breathing hitched, and tears were beginning to well up in her eyes. When she spoke again, her voice was a broken whisper, and her trembling hands could barely keep a grip on her cards. "N-No…this is just like before…"

I desperately tried to move, to give her some indication that I was still alive, but none of my muscles wanted to work. Even my voice had left me, so I was left looking very much like a corpse.

My efforts doubled as I saw Volt lower himself down to our level, landing behind Sheena and beginning another attack. I had to try and warn her, but I could barely even move my tongue let alone an arm or a leg.

As the attack was nearing its peak, the sound of the electricity gathering was enough to catch her attention. Sheena whirled around just as Volt released the attack and she screamed, knowing full well that she had no chance of avoiding it.

I started to panic, realizing I was about to witness Sheena's death and knowing there was nothing I could do to stop it. However, that was when I saw movement out of the corner of my eye, and I watched in horror as Corrine leapt into the path of the attack.

The tiny fox spirit's body contorted violently as it was caught midair in a ball of lightning. He remained suspended for several moments before dropping to the ground with a harsh thud, his tail twitching with the aftershock.

"_Corrine!" _The word was ripped from Sheena's throat in a shriek and she suddenly remembered how to move. She scrambled to his side, ending up crawling the rest of the way after falling to her knees.

"Corrine!" she continued to scream as she cradled his limp body in her hands. "Corrine! Answer me!" Her voice broke into sobs, tears freely falling down her face. "Why…?"

Volt circled around Sheena, preparing for another attack. Sheena appeared to notice, but it was like she didn't care anymore. She just continued to call Corrine's name, barely sounding coherent through her crying.

I saw a flash of red as Lloyd finally managed to break out of his paralysis and stumbled to block the attack. He cast Guardian and the attack deflected off of the temporary green shield.

"Sheena!" Lloyd shouted over his shoulder. "Get a hold of yourself!"

She glanced at him with wide eyes. She looked surprised to see he was okay, but it didn't calm her down any. "B-But…but–!"

That was when Corrine's light voice could be heard, sounding weak and frail. She glanced down at him, relief flooding into her face.

"Volt's…just lost his faith in people. Make your vow and try forming your pact one more time. You can do it, Sheena!"

"Corrine…" she whimpered.

"I'm sorry," he rasped, "that I couldn't be of more help…" His voice gave out and his body began to fade from sight.

"_No!" _she cried out, grasping at the air where his body was disappearing. "Corrine, no! _Don't die!"_

Volt floated around to Sheena's other side, preparing yet another attack. Although Lloyd was still weak, he managed to lunge forward in time to block this one too. However, I could see his chest rising and falling heavily with the effort.

"_Sheena!" _he yelled again, sounding slightly frustrated. "Subdue Volt by force! Don't let Corrine's sacrifice go to waste! Otherwise you'll spend the rest of your life haunted by Volt's shadow!"

His words seemed to break through to her. She stiffened, glancing over at the rest of the group.

I was finally able to move, if only a little bit. I tried my absolute hardest to fight through the pain and heaviness in my limbs and moved into a kneeling position. I gave Sheena a weak smile and nodded. The rest of the group was coming to as well, and I felt relief that we were all alive.

"You're right…" she whispered, her hand clenching into a fist. She rose to her feet and turned to face Volt. Her trembling stopped. Now, she was standing tall and her expression was fearless. I knew she still had to be terrified, but Lloyd's words had rung clear with her. Corrine's sacrifice wouldn't be in vain. Neither would those of the people in her village.

"For the sake of everyone that risked their lives to protect me," she began, her voice filled with fierce, angry determination. She finally lifted her head to stare straight at him, something she hadn't been able to do before. Her voice rose into a powerful shout, driven by all of the years she'd lived in regret of her past.

"_Volt! I demand your power!"_

* * *

**Thanks for reading! I'll try to update quickly again next time, but maybe don't hold me to that, heh :S**

**Please review!**

**Uh, I mean, that is...if you _really _want to...**


	35. Family Bonding

**...well hello!**

**First of all, yes I am completely aware that I am totally awful for leaving this unupdated for such a long time. I honestly rewrote this chapter so many times because no matter what I just was _not _happy with it! Anyway, I ended up just scrapping the fight with Volt all together and that seemed to help a bit. Putting a new perspective on things is a good motivator, I suppose!**

**I meant to have this up a few weeks ago, but I just haven't really found the time. University and work keeping me busy played a BIG part in such a huge update gap, but I'm promising right now not to let it happen again, especially since I'm starting to get close to some parts I'm really excited to write about.**

**Soooo yeah. Very extremely sorry for being such a sucky updater. I'm going to try to do better! I promise! In fact, if any of you want to come verbally harass me to get my ass into gear on tumblr, my url is golmorejungle. Come say hi...or yell at me and tell me to stop being so lazy!**

**Finally, to answer olirving's review that you left forever ago and I couldn't reply to (and I've seriously been itching to answer this omg), I really am a fan of Lloyd/Sheena _and_ Lloyd/Colette! I consider Lloyd/Colette a bit more canon to the story, so I'll probably lean more towards that pairing if I touch on it at all (not saying I won't, cuz who knows!) but I'll definitely sneak some Lloyd/Sheena parts in there as well, because they're just so adorable! How can I not? (And if I'm being completely honest, Zelos/Colette is actually my Symphonia OTP shhhh)**

**Anyway, that's enough babbling out of me. Thank you all so much for being patient with me, and just no that I have _no _intentions of abandoning this story, and if that awful day ever comes, I will be sure to let you know. But for now, I love this story as much as I always have and I'm sincerely going to try to do better because you're all so wonderful and patient!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Sheena hit the ground with a painful thud. Lloyd quickly rushed in to block her from harm while she regained her bearings, much like he'd been doing through the whole fight, but Volt was quick to knock him aside and was back to attacking Sheena seconds after she was on her feet. It was hard for her to dodge the attack – the fight was a tough one, and we were all beginning to feel worn, especially considering we'd all been electrocuted moments before it had started.

Genis sounded off a Stalagmite spell, staggering Volt for a few brief moments. This short window we were given after Zelos or Genis cast a spell was our best opportunity to attack Volt, and we'd been using it as a strategy the whole fight. Sheena pushed through her fatigue and sent a flurry of cards flying. Lloyd readied himself for his own attack, but as he ran at Volt and prepared to strike, the crackling ball of lightning suddenly vanished.

He stumbled, barely catching his balance in time not to fall. "Huh? Where did he go?"

That was when that same harsh buzzing filled the air. Volt had returned to his altar, and now hung patiently in wait for us.

"Volt says...'Make your vow'."

Sheena glanced at Raine in surprise before turning her awed stare up at Volt. That was all she could do for a moment...just stare at him in complete shock. She'd finally done it.

"Go on Sheena," said Lloyd, giving her a tired smile. "You've done it."

She slowly returned the smile before heading up to the altar. Despite having finally defeated him, she still looked nervous, but it held a sort of determination that hadn't been there before.

"Just like I said, for the sake of everyone that risked their lives to protect me..." She trailed off, her eyes focusing on an empty space on the floor. "And for Corrine's sake as well, I want to save both worlds."

There was silence. Then, Volt spoke.

"'The vow has been made'," Raine translated. "'I entrust my power to the pact-maker, Sheena'!"

The same thing happened as before. Volt's form dissolved into mana, until it solidified and shot towards Sheena. When she opened her hand, a glittering onyx glinted back at us. Her whole body seemed to slump with immense relief.

"It's over..." she breathed. I could hear a laugh bubbling up in her voice.

However, Volt had barely been gone an instant when there was a bright flash of light.

"What's happening?" asked Lloyd, glancing around cautiously.

Blue sparkling mana began swirling in the air, and when it cleared, Undine floated above us, just as impossibly beautiful as ever.

"A link between the two worlds has been severed," she informed us in that haunting voice of hers.

Volt appeared next, but his voice was still nothing more than static.

"Wait, I'll translate," said Raine, her forehead creased in concern. "The two opposing forces of mana were...severed just now?"

"What does it mean for the mana flow to be severed?" asked Regal, looking up at Undine.

"Mana flows from the world in which the summon spirits sleep to the world in which the summon spirits are awake," she replied. "This is the first time the summon spirits have awakened in both worlds at the same time. Because of this, the mana connecting the two worlds has been eliminated."

Everyone was silent as this information sunk in. Eliminated? But then...wouldn't that mean...?

Lloyd voiced my thoughts. "Does that mean that Sylvarant and Tethe'alla have stopped competing for each other's mana?"

"'I do not know'," Raine said in Volt's place. "'The only thing certain is that the flow of mana between the worlds has been severed'."

"Yes," said Undine. "Eventually, the worlds shall separate."

Genis' face lit up. "You mean the worlds will split apart?!"

"Hey, that's perfect!" said Zelos. He turned to the rest of us with a grin on his face. "Then they'll stop competing for each other's mana!"

"There are five seals in Sylvarant," Raine began, but it was the type of tone that suggested she was thinking out loud. "And since there wasn't a summon spirit at the fifth seal, we should be able to sever all of the mana if we awaken the summon spirits that correspond to the other four seals...maybe."

Lloyd thought this over, and when he spoke again, his tone was eager. "So if we awaken Tethe'alla's summon spirits, we'll save Sylvarant without having Tethe'alla go into decline, right?"

"At the least, the mana connecting the worlds will disappear and the two worlds will separate," said Undine. "Do with this information what you will, but I implore you to be cautious." With that, the two summon spirits faded away once again, leaving us all buzzing with this new information.

"I see," said Regal thoughtfully. "So the seals serve as a link between the two worlds."

"This could be great news!" I said happily. I turned to the rest of the group to see that everyone had similar hopeful looks on their faces. "I mean, this could be the kind of solution we were looking for, right?"

"We owe it all you, Sheena," Presea said softly. "You...and Corrine, as well."

Sheena finally turned to face us. She had a bewildered expression, as though she still couldn't believe what had just happened. At the mention of Corrine, her eyes welled up.

"Because the two of you risked your lives to form the pact with Volt, we now know what the seals do," Presea clarified, and there was a rare, genuine smile on her face.

"That's right," said Lloyd. He instantly sobered. "It's thanks to both of you."

She stared down at something she'd been clutching tightly in her hand. At first, I'd thought it was Volt's onyx, but now I could see that it was the tiny bell collar that Corrine had worn around his neck.

"Corrine..." she whispered, dropping her face to hide it from view. "Thank you..."

* * *

We walked back through the temple in silence. It should have been a happy moment, the moment that Sheena was finally able to vanquish her demons, especially considering we now had a lead on how to save the two worlds. However, Corrine's death was hanging heavily in the air, and no one really wanted to feel happy when Sheena was obviously hurting so badly.

"Well I think that went pretty well," said Zelos. His voice echoed harshly through the silence, and no one answered him. Of course he would be the one to stay upbeat in a situation like this.

I sent him a warning glare.

He recoiled a bit. "Jeez, princess, what's up with the death stare? Don't you agree?"

I glanced up at Sheena. She walked at the front of the group with her head held down. She was probably looking at Corrine's bell. Luckily, we were near the back of the group, so there was a chance that she hadn't heard.

A chance, but not a very big one.

"Just...maybe try to tone it down for a while," I told him. "It didn't work out _perfectly, _you know."

Much to my annoyance, he just responded with an irritated sigh. He looked like he was about to say something, but we'd reached the temple entrance, and Orochi was standing there, waiting patiently for us.

Sheena barely noticed until she'd almost bumped into him. She glanced up in surprise, and he offered her a proud smile.

"I guess you succeeded in forming the pact with Volt. Congratulations, Sheena." He reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder, and even from where I stood I could see his fingers give it a gentle squeeze.

"Orochi..." Her voice wavered. "Thank you."

He let his hand linger a moment longer before dropping it. "Now, the whereabouts of the rheairds. Take a look at this map." He took the paper out of his pocket and handed it to Sheena. He waited until she'd opened it and we'd all gathered around before continuing. "The signal from Sheena's guardian was detected under the sea, southeast of here. A fjord-like area covered in ice is located there. That must be the entrance to the Renegade base."

"If it's underwater, does that mean we'll have to dive into the sea?" asked Raine.

"Don't worry about that," he replied. "I'll go on ahead and make preparations. You guys join me later on." With that, and a final concerned look towards Sheena, he left.

Lloyd turned to face the rest of the group, a look of determination on his face.

"Okay, guys. Let's get going!"

"Yes," said Presea, and even now the smile she wore caught me off guard. "To rescue Colette as well."

Sheena was already on her way out of the temple, so we followed behind her to prepare to set sail. As we were met by the welcome sight of bright sunlight, I felt a heavy feeling in my stomach. Despite the base not being that far away, something still told me it was going to be a long trip.

* * *

The closer we got to the base, the more I understood why Yuan would choose to set up camp where he did. Triet was a blistering hot desert that no one would want to go exploring in, and here in Tethe'alla, well...

"I'm c-cold," I said aloud, pulling myself into a tight ball. Orochi had sort of failed to mention we were sailing to borderline arctic waters, or make an effort to provide us with jackets so we wouldn't freeze on the way up here.

"Don't say that too loudly with Zelos around," Genis muttered from beside me, but he was in even worse shape than I was – at least my arms and legs were covered.

Speaking of Zelos, he was still being annoyingly cheerful. Sheena had placed herself near the front of the EC, simply staring off at the horizon. She was clearly depressed, and so none of us made much effort to form conversation.

None of us except for Zelos, that is. He sat just a little ways away, with Lloyd in between the two of us. He was currently chatting the young swordsman up, and I was doing my best to ignore it.

"Does anyone know how close we are?" I piped up.

"I see a formation of rocks in the distance," said Regal. "It looks vaguely like the spot on the map we were shown. We should arrive there in roughly half an hour."

"Alright!" Zelos said happily, and the loudness of his voice compared to the solemn silence over the rest of the group caused me to cringe yet again. "It's finally time to pay a visit to the rheairds!"

"Don't you have any decency at all?" asked Genis, glaring across Lloyd and I towards Zelos. "At a time like this, when Sheena's depressed..."

"What are you talking about?" he countered, rolling his eyes. "There's no point in worrying about stuff that's already over."

I felt Lloyd tense beside me, but he didn't say anything. He did, however, exchange a shocked look with me, and it was a look that everyone in the group currently shared, except for Sheena. She made no indication that she'd heard what he'd said, but the deck was only so big. I imagined she had.

"How can you...talk like that...?" said Presea in absolute disbelief.

Even Regal looked visibly upset. "Sheena's sadness is deep and painful..."

"Please, Zelos, just be quiet for a while!" Genis snapped.

Surprisingly, he took their advice. He took one long look around at the group before turning his back to stare out at the ocean. Everyone fell quiet after that, but I could practically feel Genis's anger radiating off of him in a heat wave. At least the poor kid was probably warm now.

The half hour passed, and the mood hadn't improved. Sheena was depressed, Genis was angry, Zelos was annoyed, and Lloyd and I were left in the middle of it all, feeling awkward. The EC was directed towards our clear destination – a rock with a small chunk of land and an elaborate door cut into the side of it. Zelos was the first off, wing pack ready while he waited for everyone else to disembark.

Lloyd paused as he passed by Zelos, looking like he wanted to say something but thinking better of it and continuing on. I paused and went through the same dilemma, frowning and finally saying, "Zelos, I–"

"Idiots," he muttered. "If everyone around her is walking on eggshells like that, she's just going to get more depressed."

I closed my mouth, unsure of how to respond. He hadn't really been saying it to me, but more to himself. Did he have a point? Out of all of us, he did seem to have known Sheena the longest. Was he really just trying to cheer her up in his own weird way?

"This way!" Orochi waited for us by the door, and a Renegade soldier in a green uniform stood beside him.

Lloyd immediately tensed when he caught site of him. "Hey, isn't he a Renegade?"

"Relax," Orochi assured. "He's one of our people who've infiltrated the Renegades. It's the easiest way to investigate the declining world of Sylvarant.

"Wow!" Lloyd looked impressed. "So you guys even keep tabs of Sylvarant!"

"I'm on guard duty at the moment," he replied, glancing around. I wasn't sure what he expected to find. The arctic air hung heavy and still around us, and the stone landing we stood on held no room for anyone to be hiding in the shadows. Still, that didn't mean that the Renegades wouldn't have some sort of surveillance system set up.

The guard opened the door, still throwing cautious glances around, and gestured for us to hurry inside.

"Well then, it's time for us to get in there and get those rheairds!"

I jumped at the loud voice. Sure enough, it was Zelos, that fake cheer plastered all over his face once more. He was the first to head inside, quickly vanishing from sight.

"Zelos, _wait!" _Lloyd called out, hurrying after him.

"Both of you, be _quiet," _Raine hissed, but her voice fell on deaf ears. She sighed and, along with the rest of us, followed them into the base.

Orochi led us down a short, sloping hall that opened up into an entryway. Lloyd stood in the middle, his breathing slightly heavy as he stared around the room.

"I have no idea where he went," he said. "He's gone."

"He couldn't have gotten that far," I said, feeling my gut start to churn. Had that idiot gone and gotten himself captured already?

That was when a hand clapped down on my shoulder, and I jumped about a foot in the air, choking back a scream when I heard the voice it belonged to.

"Ah, hey, sorry to keep you waiting, my cute hunnies~!" He pulled me under his arm, and though I refused to look at him, I could see his shameless grin out of the corner of my eye. "Were you lonely?"

"What were you doing?" Regal asked, his expression disapproving. "Everyone was worried."

"I was just taking a quick look around the area," he replied with a shrug. He stepped away from me and into the centre of the group. "We wouldn't want to walk into a trap, now, would we?"

"If we had, it would have been your fault for taking off so recklessly," Raine scolded him.

He waved his hand. "There's no time to worry about that! It's time to start the adventure of the Great Zelos and his cute hunnies!"

"I'll explain the infiltration procedure," Orochi said stiffly, while everyone else in the group let out a collective groan of annoyance. He led us over to a nearby computer, from which he booted up a projected image of the base's map. He glanced around before continuing. "There's not much time, so I'm going to make this quick. The rheaird hangar is in the deepest part of this facility." He zoomed in on one portion of the map, trailing his finger along the path that led to the hangar. "There's only one passage to the hangar, and it is likely to be heavily guarded."

"Sounds like a piece of cake," Zelos commented.

"I'm not done," Orochi went on, using a sharp tone that was quite out of place coming from him. "Even if you manage to get to the hangar, the door will be shut, locked electronically by a passcode."

"Judging by your tone, you don't know that passcode, do you?" asked Lloyd.

"I'm sorry. We did our best, but we weren't able to get the passcode. But, we did find out that there are three portions of the code, each one being in the possession of a different Renegade. We've also managed to get their names: Meredith, Ike, and Ruben."

"So we need to catch those three and get them to tell us the passcodes?" Lloyd clarified.

Orochi nodded. "Yes. However, moving in a large group is going to attract attention that we cannot afford. I suggest splitting into three groups in order to complete this job more quickly." He zoomed out to a full-sized view of the base, indicating three different paths. "After obtaining the passcodes, each group should make their way to the hangar, by heading here, here, and here."

Although the base looked quite large, it didn't seem like it was going to be a problem getting to the hangar. The paths all looked quite straightforward, and even looking around our current location, I was able to see metal plates on the walls giving directions down each hall.

"Sheena and I already know our way around the place," Orochi went on. "So she and I should be on separate teams to make things easier. As for the third group..."

"Leave it to me!" Zelos spoke up. He puffed out his chest. "I'm an expert navigator."

I expected Raine to object, but at this point I imagined she was too fed up with his nonsense to argue, and so it was decided that she and Genis would go with Sheena, while Presea and Regal went with Orochi and Lloyd and I went with Zelos.

And so that was how the three of us found ourselves several minutes later, walking quickly and quietly through the halls of the base, ducking into alcoves and around corners whenever anyone got too close.

"How are we supposed to know which one has the code?" Lloyd wondered aloud.

"We could always just beat the crap out of each one we meet," Zelos replied, and from his tone I couldn't tell if he was kidding or not.

I rolled my eyes. "Well, they're wearing name tags, right? At least, the ones we've seen were. All we have to do is watch for a Meredith, an Ike or a Ruben."

"I still like my plan better."

"Well, how do we get the code after that?" Lloyd went on. He wore a slight frown on his face. "Beat it out of them?"

"I guess we'll have to," I said, blowing a piece of hair out of my face. I had to admit, I wasn't overly thrilled at the idea. Although I didn't have the highest of opinions of the Renegades after my encounter with them in Triet, the fact remained that they weren't Desians like we'd originally thought. Even though they'd tried to kill us and capture Lloyd after doing it, they'd also saved us from Lord Yggdrasill. They weren't necessarily bad people, and I definitely didn't hold the same anger and bitterness towards them that I did towards the Desians.

And, of course, there was the whole Botta issue to deal with. But I was still trying my best to avoid thinking about that.

"Not necessarily," said Zelos. He stretched his arms out and folded his hands behind his head. "If we meet the woman, Meredith, I'm sure I can convince her to give us the code."

Lloyd stopped in his tracks, raising his eyebrows. "Really? How are you going to do that? Do you know her or something?"

I slapped my forehead, stifling a laugh. "Oh, I think I have a pretty good idea how. That's not to say it's actually going to _work."_

Zelos had just opened his mouth for a retort when the sound of footsteps could be heard around the corner, quickly getting louder and accompanied by a couple of male voices.

"_Shit," _I hissed, and then I was being shoved through the nearest door by Lloyd and Zelos, nearly falling face-first as they threw themselves in behind me.

When I straightened out my balance, I looked around to see we were in some kind of break room – a row of lockers lined one wall, with a group of sofas and armchairs surrounding a worn coffee table in the other corner. There was a small kitchen unit as well.

"That was close," Lloyd said with a heavy sigh.

"We're not out of hot water yet," said Zelos. He'd been standing with his ear pressed against the door, and was now jerking his head towards the lockers. "Find an unlocked one and jump in."

My eyes widened. "W-What?!"

"Hurry _up, _they're coming in!"

I quickly ran over to the lockers and threw myself into the first one I found, making sure to quietly shut the door. I had barely closed the door of mine when it was wrenched open and Zelos squished himself into the tight space beside me.

"What do you think you're doing?!" I whispered angrily. "There's not enough room!"

"There is," he insisted, smirking shamelessly. "Besides, all of the other ones are locked. It was either you or Lloyd."

I didn't get another chance to protest, because the door to the room opened and the two Renegades walked in. I tensed, doing my best to keep my breathing steady and quiet.

"Break time at last," one of them sighed, and I could hear a light thump and the folding of leather as he sank down into one of the sofas. The other could be heard opening the refrigerator and rummaging through its contents.

Great, how long was I supposed to stay cramped into this locker like this? I glanced up at Zelos. Straight slits of light shone against his face, and I realized that he was able to see what was going on outside through the slits on the locker door. I cast my eyes downward after that, because with my luck, he would catch me looking at him in such an enclosed space and try to pull a move on me or something.

"It's about time," the other agreed. "I swear, work has gotten about 10 times harder ever since the Chosen's group showed up in Tethe'alla. Between Lord Yuan worrying about that kid with the Exsphere and Lord Botta worrying about Yggdrasill's pet, there isn't much room for satisfaction from either of them."

"The Exsphere kid I can understand," the one from the couch said. "But what's the big deal with finding that girl, if not to just piss Yggdrasill off?"

At this point, Zelos began to notice how tense I was, especially when I absently closed my hand into a fist against his arm. He glanced down at me, and while he couldn't exactly say anything, his fingers found my shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"Oh what, you haven't heard, then?" The one standing in the kitchen closed the refrigerator door.

"Heard what?"

"Apparently, that girl is his daughter."

The one from the couch let out a low whistle, barely audible from where we stood. "Is that right? I mean, I'd heard that from Ferris, but you know how Ferris likes to pull stuff out of his ass."

"Kind of like you, Midel?"

"Shut up. Anyway, yeah, he told me something about how the kid's mother sold her out to Cruxis? Or is that him _actually _talking out of his ass?"

"Actually, that's also true. Had to do with some kind of experiment with one of the Grand Cardinals?" He paused, no doubt to shrug his shoulders. "Anyway, she sided with Cruxis, and Lord Botta's been trying to get the kid back ever since."

I began to drown their words out. The only sound I could hear was that of my own heart, pounding angrily in my ears. There was no way that anything they were saying was true. My mother hadn't "sided" with Cruxis – she'd only been using Kvar to help with her research. To help the _Renegades. _She'd lost her life because of it. Botta knew that, and yet these bastards had the nerve to say such awful things about her?

"You need to calm down." Zelos's voice was barely a whisper, and yet it was enough to cut through the muffled noise in my head.

"They're lying," I hissed back, suddenly aware of the fact that I had been digging my nails into Zelos's arm. "That's not true, none of it."

"Aurelia–"

"They don't even _know _her–"

"And neither do you," he said firmly, and it was like a swift punch to the gut. All of the anger rushed out of me, like air from a balloon.

"Sorry," I murmured, feeling dejected. "You're right."

"Ike," said Midel, his voice suddenly tense. "Did you hear something?"

I stifled a gasp, for more than one reason. Not only were we probably about to discovered, but it was by one of the Renegades we were supposed to be looking for. I couldn't really decide if this was a good thing or a bad thing, so I just started internally panicking all the same.

Ike, the one who had been standing in the kitchen, starting walking towards the lockers. "I did," he said loudly. "It would seem we have some spies in here."

From a couple of lockers down, I could hear the door open with a loud creak, and Lloyd stepped out of it. I heard the faint sound of scraping metal as he drew one of his swords.

"That's our cue, I guess," said Zelos, and threw open the door of the locker. The two of us stumbled out, and I immediately grasped for my spear so I wouldn't be left defenseless.

"Ike, is it?" said Lloyd. "You have something that we need."

"The passcode, is it?" asked Ike, looking unbothered at his current situation, at Lloyd's sword pointed at his chest. He looked to be in his early thirties, with short, light brown hair and a calm, smooth face.

Midel was considerably younger. His wild black curls were barely out of his eyes, and he had round cheeks that were covered in various scrapes and cuts.

"They must be the Chosen's group!" he said, suddenly looking fearful. "We have to alert the boss!"

"Go ahead," said Zelos, a confident smirk on his face. "In fact, I'll go tell him myself if that's what would make you happy. But first, we'll be needing that passcode."

"Then that puts us in an awkward situation, doesn't it?" Ike pulled his own sword from his belt, letting it hang at his side. "Because you're not going to let us leave, and I'm not going to give you the passcode."

"We could always just beat it out of you," I said under my breath, wandering over towards the door. I allowed it to slide open a crack, enough for me to stick my head out into the hallway. It was currently deserted, but that didn't mean it was going to stay that way. I kept my grip tightened around my spear.

Ike nodded his head in my direction. "Tough girl, huh?"

Lloyd shrugged. "Mostly just when she's angry. We're all kind of like that, so why don't you just give us the passcodes and make this easy?"

"Not going to happen."

A heavy silence fell over the room. I sighed and peered back out into the hallway. In the distance, but quickly approaching, I heard heavy footsteps, accompanied by the low murmur of an all-too familiar voice.

"Shit," I hissed, quickly ducking back into the room. "Uh, guys – we have a problem."

Lloyd tensed. "What, Yuan?"

"Or Daddy Dearest?" said Zelos, his tone only half-teasing.

"The second one," I said shortly. My stomach twisted into a knot. I knew exactly what I was going to have to do, but the thought of it terrified me. It was probably a stupid, stupid idea, and I knew that as soon as I told them they would try to stop me, but it didn't matter. We couldn't afford to be caught here. Not with Colette's life on the line.

Midel's eyes widened. "Wait a sec – _you're _Lord Botta's daughter?!"

"What's the plan?" asked Zelos, his eyes flitting from me to Lloyd.

"You guys get the passcode," I blurted. There. I'd said it. "I'm going to go distract him."

The outcry at the ridiculous idea was instant.

"Not happening," Lloyd said firmly.

"Are you _nuts?"_ Zelos exclaimed. There was a half-grin on his face, because he probably thought I was joking for whatever insane reason. "He's not going to let you leave!"

I shook my head quickly. "That doesn't matter. I'll try to buy as much time as I can. I'll try to get back to the hangar too, but if I'm not there in time then _don't _wait for me."

The grin dropped completely from Zelos's face. "You idiot. You're being serious?"

"Saving Colette comes first," I said, trying to sound a lot braver than I actually felt. "Besides, I'm the only one that these jerks don't want to kill, remember?"

"What a little hero you have here," Ike commented, still wearing a content expression.

"Aurelia..." Lloyd exchanged a long look with me, and it was almost enough to make me chicken out. However, I simply gave him a nod and tore my eyes away, running out the door and trying to ignore them calling after me.

I sprinted down the hallway and tried to slow down when I rounded the corner. However, I still managed to slam right into Botta's chest as usual. It seemed it was a habit of mine.

He let out a surprised grunt and instantly reached for the large sword strapped to his back, ready to attack. However, he thankfully paused for a moment to look at the face of his "assailant".

"Aurelia...?" His eyes widened when he realized who he was looking at, and the initially stiff posture relaxed, if only a little. The Renegade he'd been speaking to remained hostile and ready to attack, however.

"Um, hi," I said breathlessly, nodding my head at him. "I was hoping to run into you."

"What in the world are you doing here?" he asked, peering over my shoulder. "Are Lloyd and the others with you?"

"N-No!" I said, perhaps a little too quickly. I mentally kicked myself and tried to calm down. "I, uh, I came alone. I wanted to talk to you about something."

"What is it?"

I paused. I knew perfectly well what I wanted to talk to him about, but the very thought of actually doing it filled me with fear. Still, I knew I had to do this to keep him preoccupied – to give the others time to get to the hangar. Even if I ended up being trapped here, I couldn't afford to care. Saving Colette was what was important right now. I had to do it.

I cleared my throat, awkwardly side-eying the Renegade behind him. "Um, I'm sorry, is there somewhere private we can go? It's a bit of a hard subject for me to talk about still."

Botta realized what I was saying and nodded. He motioned for the Renegade to leave.

"B-But, Lord Botta..."

"That will be all," he said calmly, and the Renegade got the hint. He shot me a final, cautious look before giving a short salute and continuing on down the hallway.

"I never knew I looked so intimidating," I remarked.

"I wouldn't let it go to your head," Botta replied, actually sounding vaguely amused. I barely had time to be surprised at the sound of it before he smoothed his face back into its usual hard mask. "What is this all about, anyway?"

I glanced over my shoulder towards the room where Lloyd and Zelos were before turning back to him. "Can we walk and talk?"

I didn't wait for him to finish. I turned the corner and started heading away, hoping he'd decide to follow. Several long seconds passed, and then I heard his heavy footsteps shuffle against the floor as he caught up to me.

"Why have you left the others?" Botta finally asked, after we'd been walking in silence for a while. "And how did you get here?"

"I came from Mizuho," I replied, and then paused. Renegade soldiers passed us by, and I took a moment to watch how they sent us curious looks, hands hovering near their belts. Walking with Botta like this, I was reminded of first meeting him in Triet, and how much things had drastically changed since then. As hard as it was for me to think about something like that, I pushed through the pain and held onto it for as long as I could, both trying to think of an acceptable cover story and also stall for time.

"I spoke with Vice-Chief Tiga."

"I see."

"That's it?" I slowed my steps, giving him an incredulous look. "That's all you have to say?"

"What would you have me say?" He kept his eyes focused on our surroundings, seeming to pick specific halls with a sense of purpose. "I know the story you are about to tell. The story of how your mother fearlessly slayed an enormous dragon and saved the village. It all sounds very nice, doesn't it?"

"You _told _me she was a coward," I said hotly. All too quickly, that same anger I'd experienced in the locker was coming back with full force. "You made her out to be some sort of...of _villain. _Tiga told me that she risked her life to help you all, and that Kvar _killed_ her for it!"

"Is that so?" He had the nerve to chuckle. "Well, in that case, you have quite the nobel mother, don't you? Dying for her research, for her comrades. I must say, I am not familiar with that particular story."

"Why do you keep talking like that?" I asked, frustration burning in my gut. "What happened between the two of you to make you so bitter towards her? Tiga told me that you _loved_ each other, so what the hell–?"

"You truly believe you have everything figured out just because Tiga told you his side of a story he has nothing to do with?" He was remaining infuriatingly calm compared to me, but I could sense a quiet anger brewing beneath the surface. He came to the end of the hallway we'd been walking down and he paused to swipe a keycard to open the door.

"Well what Tiga told me is a hell of a lot more than you ever have," I said, reluctantly following him into what looked like his office. A large window took up one wall, giving a fantastic view of the deep, blue arctic waters that submerged the room. "All you seem to want to do is give me cryptic remarks and expect me to automatically take your side, when in reality you haven't told me _anything!"_

He sighed, sitting down in the chair behind his desk. With one hand, he began shuffling papers around, and with the other, he motioned for me to sit down in one of the chairs on the other side of his desk. I warily gave it a long look before deciding against it and crossing the room to look out the window.

"How exactly did Tiga's story end, might I ask? With Yuuki suddenly cutting ties with the Academy and Mizuho?"

"Yes," I said quietly, tracing my finger along the glass in the shape of distant shapes in the water.

"Did he tell you she cut her ties with us as well?"

I stopped tracing the glass, becoming very still. I glanced over my shoulder at him, but he was still pretending to be absorbed by his papers.

"No. He told me he assumed she'd been caught, and that Kvar killed her for double-crossing him." I tried to swallow past the large lump forming in my throat. "Is that not what happened?"

"He wasn't too far off the mark," said Botta, still maintaining what I was now distinguishing as a fake calmness. "Your mother was caught by Kvar, but it did not result in her death."

Like a tiny spark flickering to life, I felt hope stir in my chest. "But...you told me she died. Why would Kvar keep her alive after she betrayed him?"

"Perhaps because she was more use to him alive than dead," he replied. "Perhaps because her knowledge of the technology they were developing together was necessary to him."

"So he just didn't care?" At this point, I left the window and quickly came to stand in front of his desk. My anger with him was gone and replaced with a desperate urgency, an overwhelming feeling of hope because the way this story was headed, I was starting to believe he hadn't been entirely truthful to begin with. "Even knowing she was a spy, he kept working with her? How did he get her to stop? Why did she cut ties with you? Why–?"

"Aurelia." His tone was firm, and was successful in immediately shutting me up. However, when he finally raised his head from his papers, there were the faintest traces of pain in his eyes. "I understand what you're probably feeling, but I have to say – this story does not have the happy ending you think it does. You may very well be better off believing that it ends with Kvar taking her life, and her dying a hero. I...do not wish to cause you pain."

"It's a little late for that," I said coldly, quickly regretting it. I did my best to regain my composure and continued. "Botta...please. I...I understand that you mean well. I do. It's just really hard for me to trust you when we're on opposite sides. Telling me the truth...well, it's a step in the right direction." As hard as it was for me to say those words, I realized that there was a bit of truth to them. "Please."

He stared at me for a long time without saying anything. Finally, he let out a heavy breath and ran a hand down his face. He looked tired.

"Your mother, as I said to you in Sybak, is the reason you ended up under the 'care' of Yggdrasill and Cruxis," he said, his voice heavy and slow. "She gave you up to Kvar, in an act of cowardice."

"What?" I felt breathless. Midel and Ike's conversation echoed in my brain once again. "But...but why would she do that? What was the point?"

"He said he would kill the two of you otherwise," he replied. "He gave her an option – give up her daughter to Cruxis for the sake of his experiments, and abandon the Renegades in the process, or die. She was so afraid of Kvar that she chose the former."

I finally took Botta's invitation and sunk into the chair behind me, feeling stunned. "That...that can't be right at all."

"I warned you, Aurelia. The story is not a pleasant one." He said this, and yet his tone was far from the typical "I told you so". He genuinely seemed regretful, and that was what was making me feel even worse. The two characters that had been built up in my head of my mother were beginning to clash, the borders between them growing blurry. I believed everything Tiga had told me, but did that mean Botta was lying?

"Why would she do that?" I whispered, suddenly feeling very sick. "If she was so brave then how could she turn out to be such a coward?"

"I ask myself that question everyday," he murmured, so quietly I almost didn't hear him.

Then, the full reality of what he was saying dawned on me. I whipped my head up to stare at him in shock, the nausea beginning to rock my stomach with full force.

"Wait a second, what kind of experiments?"

Before Botta could even open his mouth to respond, a knock sounded at the door. More specifically, it came from the door frame, and whoever it was entered through the already open door anyway.

"I apologize for breaking up this touching moment of family bonding," said Yuan, coming to stand beside Botta's desk. I felt my blood run cold. Wait a minute, what was Yuan doing here? And why didn't he look as surprised to see me as Botta had?

"Lord Yuan," Botta quickly rose, bowing in a short salute.

Yuan nodded at him, and then turned to me, looking positively smug. "Aurelia. It's quite nice of you to decide to pay us a visit. Had I known in advance, I would have had refreshments prepared."

"What's going on?" I asked sharply. I thought my heart was going to pound out of my chest. His tone was all wrong. Something had happened, and I had an awful, sinking feeling that I already knew what it was.

"According to our little friend, all of the passcodes have been 'collected'," Yuan said to Botta instead of answering me. "The others should be headed towards the rheaird hangar soon. We should hurry."

That was when the sickening realization hit me. I leapt from my chair, pointing an accusing glare in Botta's direction.

"You...you..." In my absolute fury, I couldn't even think of an appropriate insult, one that was strong enough to get my feelings across. "You _knew_ this whole time didn't you? You _knew _I came here with the others!"

"I do not want you involved in what is about to happen," he told me, that same regretful look in his eyes.

"You better not lay a _finger _on my friends," I said angrily, quickly grabbing for my spear. I held it towards him, switching between him and Yuan. "I'll kill both of you before I let you hurt them."

"Is that supposed to pass for a joke?" Yuan scoffed. "Your threats don't scare me, little girl."

"I truly am sorry, Aurelia," said Botta, slowly moving out from behind his desk. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to force you to wait here while we take care of the situation in the hangar."

I gritted my teeth together. I had to do something, even if it was just stalling for time until the others could escape with the rheairds. I could...block the door, and then try to fight them off...? I couldn't just sit here and let them leave, anyway, and while I wasn't too sure about Yuan, I knew Botta wouldn't hurt me.

I acted without thinking. I bolted towards the door, hellbent on heading towards the hangar. However, my plans were stopped short in their tracks as a figure stepped into the doorway, and I wasn't able to react quickly enough. He wrapped an arm across my shoulders, holding me in place with surprising strength.

"Lord Yuan told me you'd try to make a break for it," a familiar voice said in my ear. The voice was calm, collected.

"Ike," I said between my still-gritted teeth. He certainly hadn't wasted any time after Lloyd and Zelos left, had he?

Ike's hold on me tightened as I began to thrash against him. He was surprisingly strong, as I'd mentioned, and while adrenaline was filling my body with energy, it was about the _only _thing keeping me going, and I wasn't able to break free.

"Make yourself comfortable," said Yuan, as he and Botta approached the door. "I promise, this will not take long."

Botta said nothing. At this point, I was pretty sure he'd gotten the message that any attempts to try and reconcile with me were doomed to fail. Realizing I wasn't going to escape, I fell still, eyes locked onto the floor as the walked past me.

As soon as they were gone and the door closed behind them, Ike released me with a rough shove, and I almost collapsed onto the floor.

"Not so tough now, hm?" he said, and I wanted to rip that infuriatingly calm voice right out of his mouth.

"Go to hell," I spat. My body shook. This was all too much to handle. I'd known there was the possibility of me being caught, but now that it had actually happened, I was furious. It didn't help that Botta had known the whole time I was trying to help the others. This whole thing had been totally pointless and all it had accomplished was leading the others into a trap, getting me captured and filling my head with awful, horrible thoughts that, thanks to Yuan, were not getting resolved anytime soon.

"I don't see why you're so hateful towards Lord Botta," he said, leaning against the door. "From my perspective, it really looks like he just wants to help you."

"I really couldn't care less about _your _perspective," I snapped, sinking into the nearby chair once more. "From _my _perspective, he's tried to kill one of my best friends and take the other one hostage, so I think I'll pass on his 'help'." Despite the shaking in my legs, I jumped up again to stomp over to him and jab a finger into his chest. "From _my _perspective he hasn't been there my whole life and chooses the moment that I stumble blindly into Sylvarant to swoop in and try to be the 'perfect father'. So, I think _my _perspective is a little more relevant to the situation than _yours._"

If he was at all bothered by the short girl practically screaming in his face, he certainly didn't show it. He simply placed his hands on my shoulders and lightly shoved me away from him.

"Sit down," he said, gesturing towards the chair. "You're exhausted, and I'm not going to let you leave this room, so you might as well save your energy."

I thought about staying standing up, just to spite him, but he was right, unfortunately. I _was _exhausted, and my legs welcomed the relief as I sank into the chair. I tried to push all of the unpleasant thoughts out of my brain. All I wanted to care about was the others safely escaping with the rheairds. Rescuing Colette.

But all I could think of was that awful word that had crossed Botta's lips. "Experiments". Had Kvar seriously experimented on me when I was little? Was that why I didn't remember much from my early childhood? Was...was there something wrong with me now? What had he done to me? I remembered the fight in the ranch, his cruel face as his hand closed around my throat and he slammed me into the computer, intent on choking the life out of me. The thought of him running experiments on me like I was some kind of lab rat...

"Are you okay?" Ike asked suddenly. To my surprise, his calm mask had shifted into one of mild concern. "You look like you're about to be sick."

"I think I am," I said, searching around the room for a wastebasket of some sort. After a moment of searching, I decided against it. If Botta was going to keep me here against my will, then I had no issue with puking all over his fancy, plush carpet.

Time passed by, however, and I didn't get sick. I listened to the quiet tick of a clock hidden somewhere in the room – or at least, placed somewhere that I was too lazy to move my head towards. I did my best to count them, trying to judge how much time was passing. Ike didn't say a word, and I almost wished that he would. Being alone with the thoughts I had right now was far less than appealing. I was forced to try and shut them out, focusing only on the clock's tick. Tick...tick...tick...

It was after what I judged to be a half hour when the shaking began.

* * *

**Ta daaa!**

**I'm taking Aurelia's story in a bit of a different direction for a while. I mean, I'm guessing you've all played the game, so keeping her around for major plot points isn't totally necessary, and I'm trying to keep things interesting!**

**Again, thanks so much for being lovely and patient. Leave a review (if you think I still deserve it, hehe) and have an awesome day! Love you all!**


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